E-Logs Tops ATRI Survey Of Critical Industry Issues
This story appears in the Oct. 10 print edition of Transport Topics.
LAS VEGAS — The American Transportation Research Institute said the top concern for truckers is the use of electronic logging devices.
The announcement stems from results of ATRI’s annual “Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry” survey, which were disclosed Oct 3 at American Trucking Associations’ annual Management Conference & Exhibition here.
ATRI also announced, along with the Natso, the availability of a new app to address one of those top issues: parking.
As for the upcoming electronic logging device mandate, all commercial drivers required to track hours of service must have ELDs in their trucks by December 2017 — although the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association filed a lawsuit to vacate the rule.
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“More than 65% of survey respondents were concerned about productivity impacts the industry may experience from full deployment of ELDs,” according to ATRI.
The issue was No. 6 on the 2015 survey.
The report is based on 3,285 responses to a survey of industry stakeholders in North America. ATRI said 64.5% of the respondents were commercial drivers, 27.8% were motor carriers and 7.7% were other industry advocates.
“We are already ELD compliant, but the industry needs some certainty about a firm implementation date and plan toward it,” said Derek Leathers, president of Werner Enterprises Inc., which ranks No. 15 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.
The second most critical issue in the survey was hours of service, which had been the top concern for the last three years.
“What is going to be the final resolution to the rule? Is there going to be a cap on the weekly hours? What is the final fix going to look like? So, just more uncertainty,” ATRI President Rebecca Brewster said.
Third on the list was the cumulative economic impacts of trucking regulations on the industry. The concern includes over-regulation and the economic impact of ELDs, hours-of-service requirements, speed limiters and drug testing, according to the researchers.
“There are a lot of regulations and a lot of them are well-intended, and we’re not looking to avoid them. But the sheer volume is about as heavy as it’s been in over 25 years,” Leathers said.
The fourth critical issue among respondents was the scarcity of available truck parking and the dangerous situation it creates for drivers to drive beyond the allowable hours-of-service rules as well as to find a spot or park at an unsafe location.
It is such a big problem (up from No. 5) in the industry that ATRI and Natso announced the app “Park My Truck” on Oct. 3 that will allow drivers to find available parking spots using a smartphone.
“This app marks the first time the industry has come together to provide a national source for truck parking availability,” Natso President Lisa Mullings said.
“Our project goal was very simple: We wanted to include truck parking from every truck parking provider in America. Our only criteria was that the provider had publicly available parking and they commit to sharing the information about what spaces are available,” she added.
American Trucking Associations partnered with the two organizations to develop the app.
“There are simply just not enough spaces for the trucks that we have on the roads to safely park,” ATA President Chris Spear said. “A simple solution like this one — letting people know where there is parking available — can be critically important.”
Added Judy McReynolds, president of ArcBest Corp., “I can say, from our experience, that it’s getting harder and harder to maintain supply chain efficiency and productivity in this environment of increasing regulation and highway congestion. Providing truck parking information is an important tool in this effort.”
ArcBest ranks No. 12 on the for-hire TT100.
“It’s extremely frustrating to see locations open, but don’t allow truck parking. You’re pushing back, protesting or otherwise objecting to the safest driver that would otherwise park at that travel center. People don’t want trucks in their backyard, they just want the things the trucks bring. And we need to continue to work against that,” Leathers said.
The overall tepid freight market was the fifth critical issue of the year. ATRI recommended that the government reform or repeal ineffective and burdensome regulations that add to economic costs, and also advocate for policies that would stimulate the economy. It also pushed for more research to take place about the impact of changes to the overtime rules on Dec. 1, 2016.
Compliance, Safety and Accountability scores dropped out of the top five, for the first time since 2010, to No. 6 on this year’s list. ATRI said the result is due to the FAST Act passage in December 2015 that requires a study of CSA data accuracy and reliability and also the removal of the carrier scores from the public view.
Rounding out the top 10 were the driver shortage (No. 7), driver retention (No. 8), transportation funding, infrastructure and congestion combined (No. 9) and distracted driving of the other motorists.
