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The mid-Atlantic region is the latest area to be reminded of Mother Nature’s capriciousness and unrelenting fury, as a seemingly endless string of major snowstorms has dumped record amounts from Virginia to New Jersey.

At long last, we report this week that American Trucking Associations’ freight index actually rose, as tonnage carried by fleets in December was 6.6% greater than what was moved in the same month of 2008.

Usually in Washington, as elsewhere, something has to be broken, or at least underperforming, before some branch of the government moves to repair or replace it. That being the case, you might ask why the Department of Transportation is looking to tinker around with its hours-of-service rule.

An economist with lots of experience in freight transportation has some interesting things to say that directly challenge the railroad industry’s extensive advertising blitz apparently aimed at convincing Americans that their way is the green way.

We all have to hope that officials of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration really have their ears open when they hold their three public “listening sessions” later this month over their embattled hours-of-service rule for the nation’s truck drivers.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has taken a step in the right direction with its Comprehensive Safety Analysis, a new way of evaluating trucking safety. Now, some serious tweaking is in order.

As this horrendous year finally winds to a close, the most recent economic news is notably better than what we’ve had to endure for nearly all of 2009. And because almost every economic forecast predicts at least a gradual recovery, 2010 can’t get here too soon.

This has been a year when so-called “good news” actually has come in the form of less-bad news, as in “freight levels fell less last month than they did the month before” or “fewer jobs were lost last week than the week before.”

News Flash: Since the administration has rejected any move to raise fuel taxes, it’s incumbent on the Department of Transportation to work with Congress to select another funding source for the nation’s infrastructure needs.