One last hopeful sign: The Bloomberg U.S. Truckload Trucking Index, consisting of companies like Heartland Express, Knight Transportation and Swift Transportation is up 12% since hitting 52-week lows on reports of rising rates.

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In a report last July on the Sky Express crash, the National Transportation Safety Board found that ineffective government oversight allowed the Charlotte, N.

WSJ: Bus driver to serve 6 years for deadly Va. Crash

After six years of teaching business processes at the University of Memphis, he jumped into the private sector, landing at a two-year-old transportation startup called Federal Express.

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But Federal Express, FDX, one of the individual transportation stocks we may well have selected, shocked the market this week by announcing an unexpected 31% earnings decline, and the stock plunged almost 10% in just three days.

FORBES: Swear Off Individual Stocks For Better Returns

In addition to the Thanksgiving express lanes, efforts are under way with the FAA and the Transportation Security Administration to make more staff available at airports during the holiday season, which will speed up check-ins and boarding, Bush said.

CNN: Bush hopes to ease holiday travel congestion

There's transportation, with Pittston Brink's Group and Frozen Food Express Industries.

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The board said Transportation Department officials were in the process of shutting down Sky Express at the time of the crash but had given the company an extra 10 days to appeal an unsatisfactory safety rating.

WSJ: Bus driver to serve 6 years for deadly Va. Crash