Stake Out the Common Ground

WASHINGTON, D.C. — There’s a message for trucking in the recent mid-term Congressional elections.

The simple message was articulated by Timothy P. Lynch, president of the Motor Freight Carriers Assn., at a Transportation Table luncheon at the National Press Club here earlier this month: Move to the middle.

“I have felt for quite some time that we are entering an era of American politics where neither political party will command the kind of majorities they have had in the past. Democrats once held a 120-130 seat majority in the House of Representatives. I don’t think we’ll see that ever again.”

Instead, the public is demanding that politicians find common ground and compromise on issues to achieve results.

Trucking would do well to heed the same advice, according to Mr. Lynch.

A year ago, the former chief lobbyist for American Trucking Associations was preparing for the start of negotiations with the Teamsters union. MFCA’s bargaining arm, Trucking Management Inc., represented the Big Four less-than-truckload carriers in the talks.

Coming on the heels of a 15-day Teamsters strike against United Parcel Service and with memories of a 24-day walkout against LTL carriers in 1994 still fresh, TMI negotiators knew shippers wouldn’t tolerate even a hint of another work stoppage. An early contract settlement was imperative.

And they got it done on Feb. 8, a full six weeks before the March 31 expiration date. It’s a day Mr. Lynch says he now recalls with the same joy as Christmas, Easter and the Fourth of July.

Although the new contract produced no breakthroughs for trucking management, Mr. Lynch said it “laid the foundation for other things we want to do.”

And what unionized less-than-truckload carriers wanted more than anything was cooperation.

hey want to work with the union to recruit and train more truck drivers. Higher union pension benefits are expected to produce a rash of retirements among unionized LTL fleets where driver turnover has been negligible in the past.

Another area where cooperation will be critical is in taking advantage of new business opportunities.

According to Mr. Lynch, the perception is that unionized carriers are inflexible because of restrictions in the labor contract.

“We want to disabuse people of that notion,” he said. In fact, Teamster carriers are actively seeking ways to offer more truckload service while at the same time they are adding new LTL services, such as guaranteed and expedited delivery.

“Shippers want a variety of services, and we want our carriers to be in the position to offer service in whatever form they chose,” Mr. Lynch said.

It remains to be seen what will come of this new spirit of cooperation between trucking management and the Teamsters union, but Mr. Lynch said he already knows what the alternative is.

When trucking groups refused to back down on a hazmat reform bill opposed by organized labor this past year, nothing got done.

Lost in the battle to prevent the transfer of the Office of Motor Carriers from Federal Highway Administration to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was the genuine concern over the impact such a change would have on highway safety.

“We need to have the issue out there, discussed and resolved,” Mr. Lynch said. “Unfortunately, that position was lost.”

Instead, the media portrayed trucking as a bully, using its political muscle to shield the industry from tougher safety regulations.

“ATA power politics may sell memberships,” Mr. Lynch noted, “but there are big safety reasons to oppose the transfer.”

In the next few months, battles will be waged over hours-of-service reform, driver fatigue and truck size and weights. According to Mr. Lynch, it’s important that the industry not be seen as opposed to new technology or new approaches to safety.

And trucking must also find common ground with its nemesis, the railroad industry, on the issue of longer combination vehicles.

The big LTL fleets all use triple trailers on certain lanes, but they also took a strike four years ago to win the right to put up to 28% of their freight on the railroad.

As far as Mr. Lynch is concerned, that makes trucking a customer, not a competitor for railroads.

We’re not saying we want triple trailers at the expense of the railroads,” Mr. Lynch said. “We care deeply about what happens to the railroads.”

Working as intermodal partners, truckers and railroads can enhance service levels and generate more business for each mode, Mr. Lynch believes.

“We need to have a broader discussion of how we are going to handle more freight because in the future we will have a lot more freight to move.”

Amen.