No doubt there are many trucking industry issues out there, but in this article we will concentrate on the one that stand out of the crowd.
Actually the top 10 trucking industry issues that I will present today are some of the main trucking industry issues not only in America, but worldwide as well!
This topic of mine is probably not something new to you! The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), releases their Annual Critical Issues in The Trucking Industry Report – a survey on a yearly bases where they identify the main trucking industry issues and different strategies on how to deal with.
But well, as long as there is a way to fix a problem, bring it on!
Truth to be told, every year there are additional trucking industry issues that we need to worry about, but some things stayed same.
In the bucket with the one that stayed same there for a while, I will mention the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Mandate (released in December 2015), and the legislative and regulatory challenges including the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.
Even this year, ATRI presented the American Trucking Association (ATA), with their report on the critical issues in the trucking industry for the past year, and guess what?
The top 10 trucking industry issues and the way to fix them remained same like the year before!
So, I guess the good part in all those trucking industry issues is the fact that they are fixable.
Now, there are people that are specialist in this area and according to them there are some trucking industry issues that are more important than the others.
I personally think that when it comes to trucking industry issues and their importance, it’s important to say that they are all-important and need to be taken care of, but one thing at the time- as they say.
Top 10 Trucking Industry Issues
The trucking industry is rapidly growing, but also presents several challenges for big and small trucking companies.
If we shed light on the major issues facing the industry right now, we will see that they are not very different from the ones that we deal with the year before, or the prior year.
But here, without any further delay, are the most pressing issues in trucking industry today:
1. Hours-of-Service (HOS)
When it comes to trucking industry issues we all know there are many to choose from. But of them seems to jump out year after year. Obviously I am speaking about the hours of service- HOS rule. It remains one of the key trucking industry issues.
Some might not put it at the top of the list; others might not even put much thought into it. But, HOS is one of the major trucking industry issues.
It really shouldn’t be a surprise. Some say that 80 percent of the motors carriers have lost productivity due to the 34 hour restart provisions.
If I am not mistaken the rule was suspended, or amended but not before helping to create a few trucking industry issues.
The rule has been brought up from time to time and much study has been done regarding its impact on the industry.
As of September this year it seems as though they have made their final determinations and reinstated it. This is according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) website.
However, if I read correctly there have been a few amendments to it. So I would highly recommend doing a little research and making sure you fully understand it and comply without creating more trucking industry issues for your business to deal with.
2. Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
It seems 2014 was a good year for pushing through regulations. Many of which were done to reduce trucking industry issues, but some would argue they create new ones. Kind of like finding a solution without knowing what the problem is.
The FMCSA created the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) initiative. In regards to trucking industry issues, the CSA’s goal is to reduce vehicular accidents, reduce injuries and fatalities, and help make the roads safer for all travellers. Obviously their main focus is on commercial trucks and buses.
So how are they to do this?
They will do this through the use of the seven BASIC (Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories) CSA safety measures.
These include unsafe driving, vehicle maintenance, HOS compliance, alcohol and controlled substances, driver fitness, crash indicators, and hazardous material compliance.
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The FMCSA is trying to reduce trucking industry issues using the CSA initiative to help eliminate potentially preventable crashes. An example of such could be driving while tired, drinking and driving, not following set rules, and the list goes on!
It is believed that this model can then better improve how safety is measured and the data is used to reduce trucking industry issues.
The CSA will use a scoring system from which the Safety Fitness Determination gathers its data in effort to keep everyone safe.
They have been looking at a way to reduce the differing rules from state to state, particularly how they gather their own information.
There is even a strong belief that the carriers themselves may be misusing this data when choosing which carrier they will use.
To many the CSA is a tool used to help reduce trucking industry issues. Others see it as a means to protect us from ourselves.
Either way, no one can deny that some improvement does need to be made regarding safety to help reduce potential trucking industry issues.
3. Driver Shortage
When one thinks of trucking industry issues some might say over regulation is an issue.
Others might say that doesn’t matter, if you can’t even get people in the driver’s seat in the first place! So yes, driver shortage is one of the major trucking industry issues.
