Opinion: Keeping On, Despite Challenges

By Bill Graves

President & CEO

American Trucking Associations

This Opinion piece appears in the Oct. 17 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.

When we gathered in Phoenix last year, I said I was hopeful that, like the mythical bird the city was named for, our industry was preparing to rise from the ashes of the deep recession we’d just fought through and that, when we came together in Grapevine, as with many things in Texas, things would be “bigger and better” for our industry.

Unfortunately, it seems the only things that have gotten “bigger” are the challenges our industry faces, while the things we can point to as “better” are few and far between.

After our previous meeting, we saw Americans return control of half of Congress to the Republicans,which, rather than leading to statesmanship and bipartisanship, has only amped up the partisan rancor and brinksmanship. This has led to a series of near-shutdowns by the government, a historic downgrade in our nation’s once-unassailable credit rating and debates about how much and what to cut to get our fiscal house in order.

All this has been set against continued high unemployment, fears of a second recession and the administration’s rapidly accelerating regulatory agenda.

One piece of that regulatory agenda in particular threatens to cast a pall over 2011 and do unimaginable harm to our industry — the Department of Transportation’s ill-conceived, unfounded and politically motivated revision to the hours-of-service rule.

This rule has been the single-largest factor in our industry’s marked and record-setting safety performance and, in the face of overwhelming data, DOT is poised to release a rule that will needlessly curb our industry’s productivity. It very likely will increase the number of crashes and fatalities involving trucks because it will force our drivers to drive more during the times when our nation’s highways are filled with commuters traveling to work or school.

By proposing to trim back an hour of driving, DOT and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are making the rule less flexible and removing a safety net for our drivers, perhaps forcing them to pull over and park in an unsafe situation. At a time when truck parking is at a premium, this is a dangerous plan.

FMCSA’s safety monitoring system, the Compliance, Safety, Accountability program, has demonstrated that complying with the rules as they are written today — not as those alleged “safety” groups believe they should be written — leads to improved carrier safety.

Rather than unnecessarily fixing a rule that’s not broken, FMCSA should focus on improving compliance with the rules it has, and that’s why ATA endorsed the mandatory use of electronic logging devices. Electronic logging will give law enforcement the tools it needs to properly enforce the hours-of-service rule and to ensure that those who are violating the rules are taken off the road.

While the problems of increasing congestion and a lack of truck parking are related to our hours-of-service challenge, we thought that Congress and the administration might have taken some time in the past year to pass the well-funded, focused highway bill that groups on both sides of the ideological spectrum have been clamoring for since the previous one expired in 2009.

Instead, Washington has tied itself in knots over any number of issues. As a result, what should have been a no-brainer has turned into a perpetually delayed piece of legislation that could do more than deliver safer roads. It could, at this time of high unemployment, provide a boost to our economy and jobs for millions of Americans.

Things have gotten so turned around in Washington that, for a while this summer, there was serious discussion of trying to eliminate the fuel tax and push all the responsibility for funding our critical infrastructure to the states.

Well, Virginia and now North Carolina have shown us what happens when the federal government abdicates its responsibility for our national transportation network: They propose tolling our interstate highways, erecting barriers to commerce and monuments to inefficiency. The fuel tax is still the most efficient and reliable way to raise revenue for our infrastructure, which is why, if the funds are properly directed, we support raising it to keep up with our country’s needs.

These challenges and disappointments shouldn’t take away from our industry’s successes in the past year. We’ve moved more freight than ever before, and we’ve done so more safely and efficiently than at any other time in history.

We’ve seen the administration advance practical, reasonable and effective standards for heavy-truck fuel economy for the first time in history.

We successfully fought the Port of Los Angeles, winning a judgment that upholds the rights of independent contractors, fleets and shippers to dictate the rates, routes and services they provide.

Through Con-way’s Paul Phillips and Jeffery Schlect from Omaha Truck Center, our National Grand Champion driver and technician, respectively, we’ve seen the great skill of all the individuals who make up this essential American industry.

Our America’s Road Team captains have traveled to every corner of the country, serving as ambassadors for our industry, teaching thousands about our commitment to safety and the critical role trucking plays in all our lives.

I also need to recognize the tireless work of outgoing Chairman Barbara Windsor. She’s traveled from coast to coast representing ATA and our industry with distinction, and her work has left large shoes for incoming Chairman Dan England to fill.

A final important milestone for ATA this year was the highly anticipated opening of our new Capitol Hill office space. This modern facility is something all ATA members should be proud of because it is your home in Washington. The Hill office, which many of you have marked with signature pavers, will play a key role in our outreach efforts by hosting our state association partners and other events aimed at raising ATA’s profile among policymakers here in D.C.

In thinking about the year and where we stand as an industry, I’ve been struck by how much trucks and trucking have become part of our national lexicon. For an example, open up your Sunday paper and count how many truckload sales are being held in your town.

However, I think the phrase that best embodies our industry and where we are at the moment is a much more widely used phrase: Keep on truckin’.

Those three simple words of encouragement evoke our industry’s unique ability to deliver no matter the obstacle or challenge. Our slogan of “Good stuff. Trucks bring it,” is more than just an advertising tag line; it is a credo we all take seriously and demonstrate every day.

So, as we gather here in Grapevine, though our challenges continue to get bigger, if we keep on truckin’, we’ll get through those challenges and on to the truly better times ahead.

Bill Graves is a former two-term governor of Kansas. American Trucking Associations, Arlington, Va., is a national trade federation with affiliated associations in every state. ATA owns Transport Topics Publishing Group.