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By all accounts, the transition to electronic
onboard recorders has gone extremely well.
But now we are nearing another deadline that
was part of the electronic logging device (ELD)
mandate, whereby carriers operating with
automatic onboard recorders must convert to
ELDs by December 16 of this year. Based on your
experience, what would you say to carrier members
who are still using AOBRDs and have yet to begin
the conversion process?
If members have not yet begun the transition from
AOBRD technology to ELDs, then they may already be
behind the eight ball when making the switch. Reports
from industry have ranged the entire gamut, with some
saying the change had been easy and for others, not so
much. My advice would be to start this practice as soon
as you can in order to avoid some of the pitfalls that
have already happened and find an ELD solution that
best fits the makeup of your fleet. The very last thing
any fleet needs are problems with implementation two
days before the grandfather clause expires.
Coming up with a plan is one thing. Funding a plan is
another. Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon
has introduced the Rebuild America Act of 2019,
which would incrementally increase the federal
gasoline and diesel taxes to invest in America’s
infrastructure. On the other side of the fence, the
Trump administration has reportedly been assuring
Republicans that the White House does not favor
an increase in the gas and diesel tax. The Truckload
Carriers Association has long favored a fuel tax
increase as the best way to bolster the Highway
Trust Fund, but if the two sides can’t agree on an
increase, what then?
Great question, and one that has created the largest
problem. Many have perceived a fuel tax increase as
a four-letter word, while others have said it represents
the biggest bang for the buck. Clearly, the timeline has
traversed well past the 2016 presidential election, which
gives the industry concern that an infrastructure plan to
create a fully sustainable Highway Trust Fund has fallen
by the wayside. Over half of the U.S. states have increased
their fuel tax to raise funds to pay for road projects,
yet we cannot get the ball rolling on a campaign issue
that was front and center during the last presidential
election.
Recently, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA) issued a request for
comments on a potential pilot program that would
allow drivers ages 18-20 to operate commercial
motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce. TCA,
by the way, petitioned for such a pilot program back
in 2000, but the petition was denied. Of course, TCA
supports the current proposal. If the pilot program
is conducted and FMcsA changes the rule to allow
18- to 20-year-old CDL holders to drive interstate
commerce, what would be the biggest benefit to
the trucking industry?
Eighteen- to 20-year-old CDL holders represent a demographic
that has largely gone untapped in the trucking
market when it comes to potential new drivers. We
recognize that other industries take advantage of this
demographic to allow for them to develop a long career
in that particular profession. It is also fair to note
that TCA is always a safety-first organization and that
very little public data exists which can demonstrate the
safety performance of this younger generation. That being
said, the pilot program, if the agency proceeds with
it, should be able to generate significant data regarding
the safety performance of this group that can determine
whether or not this demographic is a viable one moving
forward. Our industry must continue to improve upon
the outlook of this profession and ensure those who enter
the industry view it as a long-term proposition with
reason to stay in it.
24 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2019