Truckload Authority - Winter 2014/15

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10 Chill out “The Thrill is Gone” was a big hit for B.B. King. And some in trucking are singing the same tune as the interest in natural gas appears to be waning. Volvo recently stepped back a little from their NG pursuit, taking a wait-and-see approach before building more NG models while keeping an eye on the NG infrastructure build-out and customer interest. And though lower diesel prices are music to truckers’ ears, they have put a damper on NG’s allure. The NG romance has cooled some, but will it still be chillin’ over the long haul? 10 Top Things we learned about trucking in 2014 “I don’t know how to put this, but I’m kind of a big deal.” -Will Ferrell in “Anchor Man” 7 Truckers are nothing but fat, sloppy, road-raged filled … WAIT JUST A MINUTE! That’s NOT the case. And a public opinion poll conducted by the reputable national political and public affairs research firm Public Opinion Strategies revealed that the public has a 65 percent favorable view of the trucking industry, with only 9 percent unfavorable. That 65 percent beat out other modes of travel including rail and airlines. Furthermore, when it comes to which drivers are safest out on the highways, 80 percent answered that it was either “probably” or “definitely” truckers. In terms of who is more likely to be responsible for an accident, the poll showed 91 percent said the average vehicle driver, with only 7 percent pointing the blame at the trucker. 9 Driver-less The days are coming when truckers might not have to do the most standard part of their job — driving. Damiler unveiled an “autonomous” — or some call driverless — truck in Germany this summer, demonstrating a driver in the truck cab, but not actually steering. His truck was “connected” to active sensors along the highway, leaving him free to manage loads, routes and do all those other important things … *cough* check Facebook *cough*. It was only a test, but according to Raj Rajkumar, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who directs CMU’s U.S. Department of Transportation-funded transportation research center, driverless technology would be “a big revelation for fleets and 18-wheelers.” “The question is not if, it’s when,” Rajkumar said. 8 “Houston we have a ... solution?” Failure was not an option on the Apollo 13 mission and it’s certainly not in trucking. Therefore, the industry has summoned a new era: Tech Takeover. Technology has been traveling at the speed of light this year and is continually being embraced by young buck drivers. From Electronic Logging Devices tracking driving hours to safety systems that can help avoid collisions, the trucking industry is changing. And the shining star of this new chapter is video data, whether it be in-cab cameras watching a driver or cameras pointed at the road and used to prove a driver’s guilt or innocence in a variety of driving scenarios. With all these new advancements, it’s easy to envision Tom Hanks saying, “Gentlemen, it’s been a privilege flying … er … driving with you.” Stay classy out there. 6 Fa la la la la ... Faster than a snow storm, rules and regs are piling up, with more on the way … and of course Congress is slower than Christmas … so sing along if you know “Deck the Halls.” Deck the halls with ELDs, fa la la la la, la la la la Liability costs may increase, fa la la la la, la la la la Congress made it DOA, fa la la, la la la, la la la Rule is likely on the way, fa la la la la, la la la la Now’s the time to get hair tested, fa la la la la, la la la la EPA should be arrested, fa la la la la, la la la la No one will address bad bridges, fa la la, la la la, la la la All our roads have holes and ridges, fa la la la la, la la la la 5 Fill ‘er up Lately when the pump dings at the fuel island, it’s not as big a ding to the wallet. Crude prices are hovering around four-year lows in the wake of OPEC’s decision to keep production steady and oil prices are in a slump, which is trickling down to diesel prices. Traders anticipate supply levels at their current rates at least for a few months more. So enjoy the ride as long as it lasts. 10 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2014-15
4 Say no to cracks So … a politician walks into a bar … and nothing happens. Trucking hasn’t been amused by this punch line — especially when it comes to infrastructure funding. Will Congressman Big Pants have to lose his Mercedes in a pothole before somebody does something? U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said at a recent infrastructure summit: “Looking ahead, if we want to continue to lead the world, we are going to need modern highways and railroads, first-rate tunnels and bridges, and efficient power networks and water systems.” 3 Paying for it Ouch! That hurts! Everyone is feeling the pinch of the capacity crunch. And it’s only getting worse. There are fewer trucks, fewer drivers and fewer companies, and industry insiders predict that paying higher trucking rates going forward won’t be as much of a problem as not finding a truck to move the freight. Carriers have jumped on the bandwagon to eek out driver pay raises but are still struggling to find the best and brightest. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. We’ll drink to that. 2 It’s not so bad to be us “In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream …” – Bruce Springsteen. Trucking has sweated it out and now we’re running with our dream of rising profits. According to economists, the amount of freight being hauled is at its highest level since 2008. A 3.6 percent improvement in manufacturing output was predicted for the year and in October, the Truck Tonnage Index was charted at 132.1, the second-highest level since the index started. The economy is improving and people are out shopping more, which means there’s more freight to haul. All of this is simply to say to trucking: “Baby we were born to run.” 1Oh no they didn’t! Truckers are not serial killers. Duh. The Villarreal & Begum Law Firm, out of San Antonio, Texas, learned that the hard way when it created an ad in Maxim Magazine depicting truckers as such. The backlash was swift and successful — truckers filled both the law firm’s and Maxim’s inboxes, jammed the phone lines, proclaimed the truth of the matter on social media and voila! The magazine was pulled from most truck stop shelves; the ad would never run again. In its place, a Trucking Moves America Forward ad would grace the next edition. When truckers band together, amazing things happen, from delivering donated goods to tornado-stricken residents in Moore, Oklahoma, to making sure every veteran’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery has a wreath in honor of Wreaths Across America Day. Great things happen when truckers unite. TCA 2014-15 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 11
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