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Once again, Mother Nature has shown us that man’s best-laid plans are subject to her whims. The devastating superstorm named Sandy traveled up the U.S. Atlantic coast until it got near New Jersey, and then took a sharp left turn late on Oct. 29.

The “fiscal cliff” lurks as a major potential danger, and not far down the road. The danger is to us all, in the form of higher taxes, spending cuts in vital areas and what a failure to act might mean to the country’s psyche.

We’re thankful that the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation has agreed to audit the federal government’s new Compliance, Safety, Accountability program.

Last week’s Management Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas gave the nation’s trucking industry much food for thought — and action.

The leaders of the nation’s for-hire trucking fleets and the suppliers that serve them are gathering in Las Vegas this week to address the state of the industry as American Trucking Associations holds its annual Management Conference & Exhibition.

“Hi. We’re from the government, and we’re here to help you.” Not buying it? Well, that seems to be the logic behind the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s filing in federal court last week, defending the agency’s decision to modify the 34-hour restart provision of the new hours-of-service rule.

The trucking industry took a pause from its busy, round-the-clock pace last week to recognize the essential role that drivers play, not only for their employers but also in the nation’s economy.

In a brazen display of recklessness, and with utter disregard for the safety implications of its decision, Texas has decided to let its private “partner” on a section of State Highway 130, also called Pickle Parkway, post an 85-mile-per-hour speed limit, the highest in the country, when it opens.

The political bickering that has engulfed much of the federal government over the past months and months is apparently weighing heavily on the nation’s economy.

It appears that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is listening to trucking, at least somewhat.