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It was a good time to be a truck driver last week. As we report in this edition, National Truck Driver Appreciation Week offered industry stakeholders and the public a chance to honor the men and women who quietly and diligently deliver the nation’s freight every day.

The once mighty Consolidated Freightways is drifting deeper into history and obscurity with the announcement of the $3 billion merger involving its corporate descendant, Con-way Inc., and new kid on the block XPO Logistics.

Congress is back in session this week, and what to make of that? Cynicism comes easily, such as the old political phrase: “No man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session.”

In the board game Monopoly, the Free Parking square is rather a disappointment. Sure, nothing bad happens, but where is a player’s chance for glory and domination?

One week ago in this space, we focused on how rapidly in-cab technologies and active safety systems are maturing and gaining in popularity. Many of the demonstrations and test drives that we at Transport Topics have the opportunity to participate in are nothing short of remarkable. The long-term economic benefits for truckers are clear, and the overall improvement in highway safety is obvious.

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In 1989, with the release of “Back to the Future II,” moviegoers got a glimpse at the world of 2015, with Marty McFly on a hoverboard, Doc Brown piloting a flying car and the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series.

President Obama’s nomination of Scott Darling to head the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration now makes official what has long been suspected.

Following the congressional and presidential wrangling over a multiyear surface transportation plan is enough to make your head explode, so try not to dwell on that alone.

Most people in trucking quietly do their useful work and don’t expect to end up on the pages of the New York Times.

From last week’s happy exploration of trucking, especially its 100 largest companies, we return to the La Brea Tar Pits of politics: surface transportation funding.