Two surveys soliciting top trucking industry concerns reveal that potential regulatory changes top the list of topics that may impact truckers this year. Here’s the full list, along with tips that can help a trucking company thrive in 2016.
Top Trucking Industry Concerns of Carriers and Owner Operators
When the American Transportation Research Institute released their list of top critical issues in the trucking industry for 2015 last fall, the topics of hours of service, how the FMCSA will change the way safety ratings are determined and the shortage of truck drivers in the U.S. led the list of concerns as reported by industry stakeholders, carriers and truck owner-operators.
Read the full article on Overdriveonline.com
When Overdrive (overdriveonline.com) asked industry experts to weigh in, their readers disagreed in part, listing the Electronic Logging Device Mandate (or ELD) as their top concern, followed by regulations that will likely impact hours of service and truck parking.
Here’s a closer look at some of the top trucking industry concerns:
Hours of Service
Although the most recent spending bill signed into law by President Obama continues a suspension of 2013-implemented hours of service rules, carriers remain concerned about their reinstatement, noting that 80% of motor carriers reported lost productivity when the hours of service rules, including the 34-hour restart provision, was in place.
ELD Mandate
Beginning in December 2017, truckers will be required to keep electronic logs of their duty status, giving carriers and owner-operators two years to gear up for compliance. The rule doesn’t apply to drivers operating vehicles that were built before the year 2000 and is expected to save the trucking industry $1 billion annually in time and money spent on paperwork. However, some in the trucking industry feel strongly that it represents an undue intrusion on the rights of truckers, and a lawsuit has been filed by the Owner-Operators Independent Drivers Association to try to get the law overturned.
Truck Parking
Space available for truck parking has a direct impact on record-keeping and hours of service, as drivers may be forced to drive further in order to reach truck-friendly parking. In addition to its ability to increase costs or reduce productivity for carriers, lack of truck parking also means that some drivers must rest in not only undesignated but potentially unsafe areas. Get more information state by state from this Google Maps interactive map of truck parking by state.
Interactive Map: Truck Parking Areas by State – Best States for Truck Parking
Safety, Compliance and Accountability Issues (CSA)
As part of the FAST Act of 2015, the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) was required to stop displaying public records related to carriers compliance and safety program due to criticisms about how the determinations were made. The records may go back into the public venue at some time in the future after the program’s rating system has been improved.
Additionally, there was a provision in the FAST Act that gives the FMCSA the ability to credit the Safety and Accountability compliance rankings for a carrier that “installs advanced safety equipment; uses enhanced driver fitness measures; adopts fleet safety management tools, technologies, and programs; or satisfies other standards determined appropriate by the Administrator.”
Truckers and carriers are also concerned about the seven Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories the agency uses to assess carrier crash risk as well as the disparities that exist in how states collect and report safety performance data.
Distracted Driving
Related to the area of safety, compliance and accountability at trucking industry concerns about distracted drivers, a topic which has made the list for the second straight year. It’s important to point out that distracted drivers include truck drivers who may be distracted but also indicates that any vehicle manned by a distracted driver represents a potential safety problem to themselves and others.
Driver Shortage, Driver Retention and Driver Health and Wellness
The ATA (American Trucking Association) estimates that the current driver shortage in the U.S. is 48,000, a number which they say may grow to 175,000 over the next decade. One of the efforts being made to address both the driver shortage and the high turnover rate in the industry is to force wages up, making a career as a carrier or independent owner-operator truck driver more appealing. Last year the ATA noted that the truck driver turnover rate was 84%, actually the lowest it has been in four years.
Health and wellness concerns relate to job satisfaction and a driver’s ability to continue working at what can be a physically demanding job. Could fitness and health centers become part of the landscape at truck stops in the U.S. in the future?
Economy and Infrastructure
General worries about whether the U.S. economy will continue its improvement, stagnate or fall back toward recession will always be among the top concerns for business owners, including carriers and independent truck owner-operators. Respondents particularly pointed to concerns about softer freight demand as well as concerns about how foreign economies could impact the U.S. dollar this year.
Likewise, transportation infrastructure, congestion and funding for roads continue to impact the industry. The ATRI (American Transportation Research Institute) estimates that interstate congestion cost the industry nearly $10 billion in 2013, most of which occurred in urban areas.
2 Ways to Respond to the Top 10 Trucking Industry Concerns
- Industry Innovation
Innovations that help to improve recruiting, retention and driver health and wellness concerns will likely come from within the industry. These areas of concern represent areas of opportunity for entrepreneurial minded trucking industry experts.
- Get Involved
Several of the top trucking industry concerns cited in both studies involve federal agencies and regulations. Get involved by sharing your concerns and opinions with local, state and federal representatives who will be working on committees and voting legislation into effect. Involvement also occurs at the organizational level with memberships in associations. These associations can turn single voices into powerful movements that get the attention of lawmakers and help shape the laws.
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