Editorial

Attending Infrastructure Week events and watching Congress work on a surface transportation bill reminds one of the value of hand-eye coordination.

Even with Interstate 94 potholes the size of Big Ten linebackers, Michigan voters declared decisively they do not want to endure an increase in the sales tax to pay for much-needed repairs to battered roads and bridges.

On the surface, it would appear the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s announcement last week that it had exceeded its goal of recruiting more than 225 truck drivers to participate in the hours-of-service restart study would be a positive development.

Many a business executive cringes at the actions of well-intentioned but under-informed government regulators out to make the world a better place.

It’s amazing how many people are saying very similar things regarding a real federal surface transportation plan, yet there’s little reason to believe that anything substantial will happen soon.

Throughout the busy first quarter of trucking industry conferences and trade shows, we were continually impressed with the attempts by fleets and industry suppliers to enhance the quality of life of today’s truck drivers.

The rumor mill was correct: The federal government did not publish its Phase 2 greenhouse-gas rule on truck emissions by March 31.

For the trucking press, few weeks on the calendar are as anticipated as the Mid-America Trucking Show.

It has been more than four years since the government launched its Compliance, Safety, Accountability program.    

Even the most skeptical curmudgeon would have left the recent Truckload Carriers Association annual meeting with a sense of at least some encouragement.