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Tracking The Trends
a matter of
FOCU S
earlier this year the American Transportation
Research Institute (ATRI) released its top research
priorities for 2023. The final list, compiled by ATRI’s
Research Advisory Committee (RAC) was approved
by the board of directors, led by ATRI Chairman Derek
Leathers of Werner Enterprises, in early May.
The Top 5 priorities were announced during ATRI’s midyear
meeting in June. ATRI describes the list as “a diverse
set of research priorities designed to address some of the
industry’s most critical issues.”
These priorities include the following.
Expanding truck parking at public rest areas
The lack of available truck parking is perennially ranked
by drivers as a top concern, ATRI noted. This research will
examine the needs of truck drivers. In addition, the group
will develop best practice case studies and use data provided
by drivers to identify strategies for expanding truck parking
capacity available at public rest areas.
Several states have already made strides in creating truck
parking at public rest areas. Earlier this year, The Missouri
Department of Transportation (MoDOT) permanently closed
the southbound Platte County Interstate 29 (Dearborn) and
Clinton County Interstate 35 (Lathrop) rest areas as work
began to convert the facilities to commercial vehicle parking.
As part of the project, the current rest area buildings will
be removed, additional truck parking will be added, and
vault toilets will be installed, a MoDOT news release noted.
MoDOT has contracted with Emery, Sapp & Sons on the $3.8
million project, which is expected to be completed by the end
of October this year.
Identifying barriers to entry for female truck drivers
According to ATRI, women comprise less than 10% of the
truck driver workforce, despite research showing that female
drivers are generally safer than their male counterparts.
This research will identify gender issues and proactive steps
the industry can take to make truck driving careers more
appealing to women.
Already, organizations such as the Women in Trucking Association
(WIT) are working to help address these concerns.
“The Women In Trucking Association is dedicated to encouraging
companies to create a safer work environment
Trucking research
group releases
list of top
priorities for 2023
By John Worthen
for women in our industry,” said Ellen Voie, founder of WIT.
In a 2022 white paper titled “Addressing Gender Bias and Harassment
in the Trucking Industry,” WIT reported that, while a
majority of poll respondents (55%) said that the trucking industry
overall is safe for women, many have experienced verbally
offensive comments or verbal threats within the last five years.
Complete Streets impact on freight mobility
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Complete Streets
program is designed to make transportation accessible for
all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders.
However, according to ATRI, planning decisions to deploy
complete streets often negatively impact freight transportation
and those who rely on truck-delivered goods. This study
will quantify these impacts and recommend approaches for
transportation planners to streamline freight movement.
While U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg
hasn’t directly addressed how the Complete Streets program
might affect the freight industry, he and the Biden administration
have pledged their support to the trucking industry
and its many concerns.
“For all of those whose workplace is infrastructure, roads,
bridges, highway interchanges, and more that we’re working
on right now, we’re working to make that a better workplace
with funding levels not seen since the interstate highway
system was created in the first place,” Buttigieg said at the
American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference &
Exhibition last fall. “I want to express my optimism on everything
that we can deliver together. My hope is that we will be
looking back on the 2020s as a period when trucking modernized
its future while staying true to its finest traditions.”
Examining the diesel technician shortage
Industry analysts cite the trucking industry’s challenges in
recruiting and retaining technicians as being just as critical
as the driver shortage. Researchers will work with government
entities and industry members to identify the factors
underlying the shortage, including mapping career attributes
to workforce needs and assessing high school-level vocational
training availability, industry recruitment practices,
and competing career opportunities.
“The ongoing shortage of diesel technicians continues,
and I believe worsened during COVID, and hasn’t recovered
from the loss of technicians during that time,” said Brian
Gast, vice president and divisional CFO for JLE Industries.
“We operate in a ‘small pond’ in Dunbar (Pennsylvania)
where our shop is located, so we may be more affected than
24 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA JULY/AUGUST 2023