Trucking Leaders Meet in Boston Amid Fuel, Economic Uncertainties

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mid record-high fuel prices and the economic uncertainty they have bred, and following the disruption caused by recent storms, industry executives will gather in Boston this week for American Trucking Associations’ annual Management Conference & Exhibition.

“Skyrocketing fuel prices, softer tonnage volumes during the summer, a decelerating economy and a driver shortage in the longhaul sector that is constraining capacity are limiting the true potential of our industry,” said ATA President Bill Graves.

Graves called trucking’s outlook “more uncertain” than it was six months ago.

While fuel costs were expected to be the conference’s dominant theme, fleet executives at the Oct. 15-18 meeting also were scheduled to hear how trucking prepares to meet upcoming engine-emission regulations, and how recently passed highway-spending and energy legislation and revised driver hours-of-service rules are affecting the industry.

ATA Chairman Steve Williams, who is also chairman of Maverick Transportation, Little Rock, Ark., said ATA’s Executive Committee could consider proposals to amend the federation’s policy on truck size and weight.

In an interview with Transport Topics, Williams declined to give specifics about the change, but said it would involve expansion of technology already in use in various parts of the country.

Williams said the policy change is part of a broad new advocacy agenda for ATA that will be hammered out over the next year or so and includes new approaches to highway construction and financing and initiatives to help motor carriers deal with environmental issues and a shortage of qualified truck drivers.

In light of diesel fuel costs that have increased 60 cents a gallon since the end of August, Spencer Abraham, the former secretary of the Department of Energy, will discuss the nation’s energy policy on Oct. 17.

Abraham, who was energy secretary from January 2001 until earlier this year, oversaw the filling of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to its 700 million-barrel capacity and supported tapping the reserve only if there was a supply disruption.

“As one of the key architects of President Bush’s energy plan, Spencer Abraham has been a consistent voice on the need for a national energy policy that meets the energy requirements of the nation today and tomorrow,” Graves said in a statement.

Tom Ridge, the former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, is scheduled to discuss security threats facing the United States and their implications for trucking.

With the introduction of ultra-low-sulfur diesel and new cleaner-burning engines less than 15 months away, TT Publisher and Editorial Director Howard Abramson is to moderate two panels bringing together executives from several of the largest carriers and equipment suppliers.

Scheduled to appear at the conference are representatives from Schneider National Inc., Yellow Roadway Corp., Arkansas Best Corp., Contract Freighters Inc., Knight Transportation, Freightliner LLC, Volvo Trucks North America, Cummins Inc. and Chevron.

The economic outlook is to be the focus of a discussion with ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello, Dr. Marty Regalia of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Mary Novak of Global Insight’s Energy Service and Fox News analyst Stuart Varney.

ATA’s policy committees and affiliated councils are to hold individual meetings, which include a 10th anniversary gala for the Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference.

Educational sessions are to include presentations on electronic onboard recorders, cargo theft, employee recruiting and training in ATA’s Highway Watch program.

Rebecca Brewster, president of the American Transportation Research Institute, was set to discuss issues and options for saving fuel by reducing idling. Joining Brewster will be engineering experts from Volvo Trucks, Argonne National Laboratory and James Madison University.

Carl Kirk, vice president of councils for ATA and executive director of the Technology & Maintenance Council, is to moderate a panel discussion Oct. 17 on strategies for underhood heat management.

The exhibition will feature the latest in trucking equipment and technology. About 150 companies plan to display their products, ATA said.

The MCE program also includes comedian Jeff Foxworthy, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Ellen Goodman and Harvard University law professor Arthur Miller.

This story appears in the Oct. 17 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.