HOS Tops Critical Issues Survey for Third Year
In each of the past two years, HOS effects on the supply chain were cited among executives and drivers participating in ATRI’s annual critical issues survey as their top concern. In 2015, that has shifted to operating in an environment where it is unknown what the rule will be in the long term.
Although Congress in December suspended the controversial 34-hour restart provision the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration implemented in July 2013, there is not yet a permanent solution in place.
Respondents of the survey (full details here), released here at American Trucking Associations’ annual Management Conference & Exhibition, said the industry should advocate for the continued suspension of FMCSA’s restart changes until the direct economic and safety effects are properly quantified.
In addition, they recommended quantifying the safety and economic effects of customer detention on drivers and fleets, as well as to push for increased flexibility in the current sleeper berth provision.
“The trucking industry operates in a complex and evolving environment, and we must constantly work to understand how regulatory actions and operational challenges impact the industry,” ATA President Bill Graves said. “By improving our understanding of the issues, we can be better stewards of the important job our industry is tasked with.”
In second place on this year’s survey was FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program, up one spot from a year ago. CSA was followed closely by the growing shortage of truck drivers and driver retention.
“There is perhaps no better benchmark for the challenges we face as motor carriers and drivers than ATRI’s annual survey of top industry issues. As issues climb in ranking each year, so does our collective need to aggressively identify solutions to address those issues,” said ATA Chairman Duane Long, who is chairman of Longistics, based in Raleigh, North Carolina.
