Truckers Feel Economic Sting

Forget the banking and media sectors--the real pain of the current economic meltdown is being felt most by the trucking industry, the Los Angeles Times reports. In just the third quarter alone, a whopping 785 trucking companies with a combined fleet of 39,000 trucks went out of business. And with economic activity drying up across the country, competition among trucking companies for remaining cargo has sent shipping prices off a cliff, making it hard for drivers to make ends meet.