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One of the nation’s highest-profile investors has decided that he needs to put some money into trucking, a move based on the assumption the industry is a hotbed of activity right now.

While Republican leaders in Congress seem to be in no hurry to address the country’s infrastructure, there’s an entirely different feeling surrounding President Trump’s pick to be transportation secretary, Elaine Chao, who was confirmed easily last week.

Twelve thousand people from around the world are so devoted to transportation, in all of its many forms, that they are traveling to Washington, D.C., this week to participate in the 96th annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board.

Updating the adage that the pen is mightier than the sword, we note that a PDF available online will come to shape truck and trailer manufacturing through the late 2020s, namely, the final version of Phase 2 of the federal greenhouse-gas rule.

This Editorial appears in the Feb. 24 print edition of Transport Topics.

Not so long ago, the primary concern we had about fuel prices each year as the leaves in many parts of the nation began to change was that refineries would divert some of their processing capacity to home heating oil production.

Once again last week, natural gas as a trucking fuel was a major source of attention, as Daimler Trucks North America announced a few new models powered by the alternative fuel.

Once again, the fuel price snake has turned its head and for nine weeks now has been favoring truckers and motorists with some relief. But we’re all experienced enough — or should we say skeptical enough — to know that the relief is surely short-term. Or is it?

There are certainly times when aspects of our world take on shades of that perennial favorite movie, “Groundhog Day.” All we’re missing is Bill Murray and the icy pothole he steps in every morning.