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Certainly, summer and publication of the Transport Topics Top 100 list in this issue always leave us a bit giddy, but more substantively, we’re happy about a recent streak of positive economic developments that strongly suggests the first quarter’s 2.9% contraction was more of a fluke than an omen.

Normally, our Johnny One-Note shrillness on public finance focuses on the pressing need for nationwide transportation infrastructure that would allow the U.S. economy to grow strongly.

Marching happily toward the Fourth of July, one can see some of the spirit of Independence Hall 238 steamy summers ago in — of all places — trucking.

We in the news business have long appreciated the value of deadlines, and now the nation may be on the cusp of reaping a substantial benefit because even members of Congress have not been able to bulletproof themselves against time — not that they haven’t tried.

"Hard cases make bad law,” attorneys have been saying since the 19th century, and the corollary becoming apparent after recent events in New Jersey is that dramatic events can lead to poor regulation.

Legislating on Capitol Hill has often appeared impervious to reality in recent years. Grandstanding, posturing, score-settling and fleeing unpleasant choices have frequently trumped problem-solving for Main Street.

Another week has brought with it more signs that trucking is growing. Specifically, IHS Automotive reported that the U.S. heavy-duty truck fleet grew to its largest size on record during the first quarter, and ACT Research Co. said new trailer orders rose 20.2% in April from a year earlier.

Studying the issues, analyzing them, knowing your own mind and then working earnestly to convince others is a worthwhile pursuit. At the same time, it’s also necessary to do those things within the context of a sound understanding of broad political reality.

During a very busy week on Capitol Hill, trucking and other freight transportation executives told legislators about the nation’s desperate need for investment in infrastructure.

The national economy is chugging along, plowing through rough waters whipped up by Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the Federal Reserve’s observation that interest rates close to zero can’t last forever.