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A few stories in this edition of Transport Topics illustrate quite well the current state of the national economy.

The Department of Transportation has finally taken the first, tentative step toward resolving the long-running battle with Mexico over opening the common border to commercial trucking between the nations.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has finally responded to our request for a federal mandate to limit heavy-duty truck speeds to 68 mph in order to improve safety on the nation’s highways.

The Obama administration’s proposed rewrite of the federal hours-of-service rule for drivers is a misguided failure that seems certain to make the nation’s roadways less safe than they are today.

The trucking industry these days can be likened to the proverbial watchful child lurking at the top of the staircase, glancing to see if Santa already has deposited the presents under the tree.

There are worrisome signs that commodities speculators are returning to the nation’s fuel markets, pushing prices higher than the normal forces of supply and demand would warrant.

The evidence continues to mount that 2011 will turn out to be a pretty good year for the U.S. economy in general and for trucking in particular.

When the next freight transportation capacity shortage makes itself known, whether it’s in the second half of next year or at the start of 2012, no one should say they weren’t warned well in advance.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration followed through on its promise last month and made several important changes in its CSA safety rating program last week.