Editorial

The announcement of the roster of the National Freight Advisory Committee provides a reason to be guardedly optimistic the nation is prepared to make tough decisions regarding our transportation needs.

The latest financial data show that the U.S. economy has exhibited amazing resilience in recent months, despite the fear and uncertainty that some political developments in Washington have spread and that many analysts feared would paralyze the nation’s recovery from the Great Recession.

If it’s true you only get one chance to make a first impression, then we should be encouraged by the confirmation hearing of Anthony Foxx, President Obama’s nominee to become the next secretary of transportation.

In these times of failure to budget, filibusters and perpetual political campaigns, it is gratifying to see government and industry agree on some practical ideas, namely the National Transportation Safety Board’s report on eliminating impaired driving.

Many people, exalted and humble, rich and poor, operating in arenas ranging from war to medicine, from politics to poetry, have offered their views on leadership — what it is, what it requires, how it works.

Once again, the fuel price snake has turned its head and for nine weeks now has been favoring truckers and motorists with some relief. But we’re all experienced enough — or should we say skeptical enough — to know that the relief is surely short-term. Or is it?

Why is this so hard? Raising federal fuel taxes is the quickest, easiest and most efficient solution available to the U.S. government to pay for the nation’s critical infrastructure needs.

Now all we have to do is wait. American Trucking Associations made its best argument before the U.S. Supreme Court last week about why the Port of Los Angeles is violating a federal preemption law by trying to regulate motor carriers that serve the port.

The good news is that President Obama once again has called for a major new federal investment in infrastructure to fix and expand our roads and bridges.

This week’s Transport Topics illustrates some non-freight challenges that the trucking industry currently faces: scammers and juries that want to send “messages” to truckers by whacking their wallets.