publishing of a new final rule in December 2011. The new rules changed several key
1. CSA 2. Hours-of-Service 3. Economy 4. Driver Shortage 5. Fuel Supply/Fuel Prices 6. EOBR/ELD Mandate
provisions in the HOS including limits on the 34-hour restart and a requirement for a minimum 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving. The HOS rules were first changed in 2004 and since then, the industry has seen proposed changes implemented, vacated by the courts and changed again. Given the significant operational modifications that the industry has undergone to comply with the multiple changes to the HOS rules and the anticipation of additional costly impacts from this latest round of changes, it is not surprising this issue continues to rank high. After three years as the number one
trucking industry concern, the state of the nation’s economy dropped two spots to No. 3 in the 2012 survey. This drop is primarily the result of economic improvement and escalating concern over the impacts of CSA and HOS. Regardless of the drop in ranking, concern over the economy still remains high; it received more first place votes than any other issue (16.1 percent of first place votes) in the 2012 survey. The unsteady nature of the economic recovery clearly continues to weigh heavily on the minds of many in the industry. The continued difficulty in finding
qualified new drivers put the driver shortage at No. 4 in the survey of top industry concerns. Immediately following the economy as an issue, the ranking of the driver shortage highlights the unevenness of the economic recovery and the diversity of the trucking industry. While some in the industry are worried about freight demand, others cannot find enough drivers to accommodate growing demand. However, the source of the driver shortage may not be completely tied to a growing economy
2011 TOP INDUSTRY ISSUES SURVEY
or baby boomer retirements. Many in the industry are reporting significant hiring
7. Driver Retention 8. Truck Parking 9. Driver Health/Wellness 10. Congestion/Truck Bottlenecks (tie) 10. Highway Infrastructure (tie)
This year the Top Industry Issues
challenges as a result of CSA. And, the proposed changes to the HOS rules have industry stakeholders concerned about additional impacts on the driver labor pool once the rules take effect in 2013. Regardless of the reasons, the driver shortage is a major concern for many in the industry. Over a quarter (27.9 percent) of respondents feel strongly enough about the driver shortage to rank it first, second or third.
THE CONTINUED DIFFICULTY IN
FINDING QUALIFIED
NEW DRIVERS PUT THE DRIVER SHORTAGE AT NO. 4 IN THE SURVEY OF TOP INDUSTRY CONCERNS.
Rounding out the top five in this year’s
survey is fuel issues/fuel prices. This perennial top industry issue typically fluctuates in ranking based on the price of fuel. In those years, like 2008, when fuel prices skyrocketed, it ranked No. 1 in the ATRI survey. This year it maintained its No. 5 position from 2011. However, fuel issues remain a concern for many in the industry, particularly given the impact that fuel costs have a on a motor carrier’s bottom line. ATRI recently released its 2012 Update to the Operational Costs of Trucking study which found that fuel and oil costs are the second largest carrier cost center after driver wages and benefits.
Arizona Trucking Association 2012 Post-Conference Report
Survey saw several new issues emerge as top concerns, among them the No. 6 issue, the Electronic Onboard Recorder/ Electronic Logging Device (EOBR/ELD) mandate. In 2011, FMCSA was forced to vacate a proposed EOBR/ELD rule due to a court decision regarding concerns over driver harassment. Though FMCSA had been working toward a new EOBR/ELD final rule that addressed harassment concerns, the agency’s work was preempted by the inclusion of an EOBR/ELD mandate for HOS tracking in the MAP-21 transportation bill passed by Congress in 2012. In MAP-21, Congress gave the agency until October 1, 2013 to issue a final rule. Two other new issues that appeared in
the 2012 survey for the first time were Truck Parking (No. 8) and Driver Health/Wellness (No. 9). Concerns over the lack of available truck parking appear to be increasing with the closing of many public rest areas and the uncertain impacts from the new HOS provision which will require additional rest breaks for drivers. With driver turnover increasing and carriers experiencing difficulty in finding qualified new drivers, the emergence of driver health and wellness as an issue points to the recognition that improving commercial driver health is critical to preserving the industry’s most valuable asset. Where the real value of the annual
industry survey lies is in the direction it provides industry groups at the state and national levels in terms of the issues and strategies that motor carriers believe will have the most impact on the industry for years to come. Armed with this information, state trucking associations and the American Trucking Associations are better equipped to address the issues more broadly and proactively. ATRI is the trucking industry’s 501(c)
(3) not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation’s essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system. A copy of the 2012 Top Industry Issues Survey analysis report is available from ATRI at
www.atri-online.org.
Rebecca M. Brewster is president and COO of American Transportation Research Institute.
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