Trucking Earns Positive Marks In New Poll
This story appears in the Oct. 13 print edition of Transport Topics.
SAN DIEGO — A majority of Americans perceive truck drivers to be safer than other motorists, an indication the industry’s image may be more positive than previously thought, according to a recent poll.
Data compiled by Public Opinion Strategies also found that while most people believe U.S. infrastructure is in poor condition, they opposed most options to pay for those improvements.
The polling information was presented by Republican pollster Neil Newhouse on Oct. 6 at American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition here.
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“In every region in the country, the image of the industry is above 60% positive, with the highest in the West and the South,” he said.
To drive his point, Newhouse quoted one respondent who said: “Without the trucking industry, we would have a lower standard of living.”
ATA President Bill Graves and other trucking executives said they found the information compelling.
“Newhouse’s polling tells us some very interesting data on how the industry is perceived and where we can do a better job going forward,” Graves said.
“I think the public has a fairly well-informed view of our industry, and we’re clearly perceived by the drivers we share the road with as operating more safely than we normally think [that] they think we are,” he added.
Newhouse said the vast majority of people surveyed indicate they believe truck drivers are safer than car drivers. When asked who they thought caused a crash involving a car and a truck, 3% said trucks caused the crash while 74% blamed passenger-vehicle drivers.
The poll found that 80% of people believe truckers are safer than passenger-vehicle drivers, and 90% of people believe passenger-vehicle drivers are more likely to speed than truck drivers. Also, 65% of people said they have a favorable view of trucking in the country.
The findings were determined by surveying 800 registered voters nationwide Sept. 20-24. Its margin of error is less than 4 percentage points.
ATA Chairman Duane Long, chairman of Raleigh, North Carolina-based Longistics, commended Newhouse’s work: “Our industry values safety above all, and this poll shows that our commitment to safety is paying dividends in the minds of the public.”
Barbara Windsor, former ATA chairman and CEO of Hahn Transportation, added, “It’s very good to see what the perceptions are. Sometimes we’re harder on ourselves internally without realizing the external perceptions.”
Separately, a majority of respondents agreed the country’s infrastructure is in bad shape, but they opposed paying more to upgrade roadways and bridges.
Meanwhile, a majority of respondents said they agreed aging infrastructure must be upgraded to improve the flow of freight, but opposed paying more taxes or approving alternative funding solutions.
When asked to choose one of four proposals to pay for infrastructure, Newhouse said there “wasn’t a clear winner.”
Specifically, 25% of respondents said they would oppose paying an extra 1% in federal income taxes, just 23% would support raising the federal gas tax, 23% would agree to paying tolls on all interstates and 17% would pay double for vehicle registration fees.
ATA’s Graves said the poll helps him see “why Congress has been so confused” on highway infrastructure, since constituents must be telling their lawmakers they oppose paying for infrastructure upgrades. Overall, Graves said the poll will be helpful for the industry as it proceeds to promote a safety campaign.
Nearly half the people surveyed said they know someone who works in the industry, which leads them to have favorable views about it. Respondents also said the first things that come to mind when they think about trucking are “transport of goods, hardworking drivers and safety.” Newhouse noted that the trucking industry has a strong following among Republican men living in rural areas.
“The overall importance of the trucking industry to the flow of commerce in America is not unnoticed by respondents,” Newhouse said. “Voters not only recognize the necessity of the industry in America, but they also commend its reliability and efficiency as a means for consumers and businesses to receive the goods they need when they need them.”
Respondents who have an unfavorable view of the trucking industry cite concerns over traffic congestion, safety and environmental pollution as the foremost reasons, Newhouse said.
“While some raise concerns about the amount of rest drivers receive and the pressures placed on them to keep to stringent schedules, many also commend the industry for regulations and training programs that have been implemented,” the pollster said. “Respondents say that the effect of the sheer numbers of trucks on the road is not only evident in increased amount of bottlenecks, but also on the ‘wear and tear’ trucks pose to the condition of roadways.”
The industry still has to contend with a few perception problems, since several respondents described personal encounters with aggressive truck drivers who had been speeding or improperly changing lanes, which caused them to worry about their safety. Others said they believed that drivers are overloading trucks with excess freight, causing additional risk to passenger vehicles on the roadways.
