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Outside of COVID-19, what are the key issues<br />
facing trucking in 2020 and what are the<br />
obstacles to having those issues come out<br />
in favor of the truckload industry?<br />
This industry is continually confronted with issues<br />
that are seemingly ongoing, but there are certainly<br />
a few that stand out, outside of COVID-19,<br />
that could be very pressing in the second half of the<br />
year. Highway reauthorization comes to mind, first<br />
and foremost, as the FAST Act is set to expire in<br />
September. Many have taken an opportunistic viewpoint<br />
when it comes to reauthorization by recognizing<br />
that it can be more than just a highway-funding<br />
mechanism. It presents itself as a larger legislative<br />
vehicle to attach other pieces of legislation to, such<br />
as truck parking, alternative drug-testing measures<br />
like hair testing, and even promoting transportation<br />
as a profession. This can also all be contingent on<br />
timing. As our nation climbs back from COVID-19,<br />
we will be in the midst of a presidential election. Reauthorization<br />
may have to wait until after the election,<br />
when the matter of highway funding and its<br />
corresponding issues can finally be resolved.<br />
Following up on the hours-of-service (HOS)<br />
issue, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety<br />
Administration has sent the proposed HOS<br />
rule to the Office of Management and<br />
Budget for approval. Why is it important<br />
for this rule to be finalized and put in<br />
place as quickly as possible?<br />
As an industry, we have adopted ELD technology<br />
to improve our compliance with the hours-ofservice<br />
regulations. With that being said, it would<br />
be beneficial to review the data that these devices<br />
generate and adjust HOS accordingly. We<br />
thrive on being flexible, and the data is showing<br />
that there are pockets of our supply chain that<br />
impede the free flow of goods that have led to<br />
large amounts of detention time for our drivers.<br />
It is important that we view any revisions to the<br />
HOS rule as an opportunity to make our industry<br />
more efficient and make full use of the hours that<br />
the regulations entitle our drivers to, not in the<br />
manner of providing drivers with more hours to<br />
drive, but rather to make better use of the hours<br />
we are given.<br />
TCA 2020 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 25
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