High fuel prices, sluggish economy ease trucker shortage

Bob Lingyak's job is a lot easier these days.

As head of recruiting at trucking company Gypsum Express, for years Lingyak had to take what he could get when it came to long-haul drivers amid a shortage of workers qualified to handle the big rigs and willing to spend weeks on the road.

But as the cost of diesel fuel soars and the economy slows, hundreds of small to mid-sized trucking outfits are folding _ leaving legions of trained drivers looking for work.

"It's turned around quite a bit," Lingyak said. "It used to be the drivers who could pick and choose. Now we can pick and choose."

Trucking companies have long …