Page 25 - ATR 3 2016 web

The American Transportation
Research Institute each year surveys
carriers and publicizes a list of the year’s
critical issues in trucking. In 2015, the THERE’S NOBODY IN THIS COUNTRY WHO CARES
hours of service issue topped the list, MORE ABOUT THE SAFE OPERATION OF YOUR
followed by concerns with CSA, the
driver shortage and driver retention. BUSINESS AND MAKING SURE THAT YOUR DRIVERS
Truck parking was number five, while GET IN THAT TRUCK IN THE MORNING AND THEY
the electronic logging device mandate COME BACK HOME TO THEIR FAMILIES EVERY
was number six. Rounding out the top NIGHT THAN YOU, AND SO I REJECT THE IDEA
10 were driver health and wellness; the
economy; transportation infrastructure, THAT THESE SAFETY ADVOCATES SOMEHOW HAVE
congestion and funding; and driver dis- A LARGER INTEREST IN SAFETY THAN WE DO. AND
traction. SO I DON’T CALL THEM SAFETY ADVOCATES. I

2017 AND BEYOND: WHO’S CALL THEM ANTI-TRUCK GROUPS.
DRIVING THE TRUCKS?
It’s no surprise that the driver —PAT THOMAS, AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS’
shortage and driver retention ranked so CHAIRMAN AND SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR STATE
high on the list. As Thomas explained, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS FOR UPS
the shortage rose from 38,000 in 2014
to 48,000 in 2015 and is expected
to balloon to 175,000 by 2024. The
primary reasons for that, he said, are the awarding of commercial driver’s Thomas said that it’s as important
retirements and industry growth. Lesser licenses to veterans. It also supports to track successes as it is failures.
reasons include drivers being pushed the “Hiring Our Heroes” campaign to “We’ve got a lot of work to do and
out of the industry and drivers leav- encourage motor carriers to employ we’re not where we want to be, but
ing before retirement. Meanwhile, the military veterans. In fact, getting more we’re in a much better place than we
industry expects a shortage of 67,000 veterans behind the wheel is one of were in 1980,” he said. “And there’s no
technicians and 75,000 diesel techni- Thomas’ top priorities. reason to think that what we’re doing
cians by 2022. “They’ve got a great work ethic,” between that period of time and now,
Until trucks drive themselves, the he said. “They can pass a background coupled with all the additional things
industry will have to find drivers, but check. Many cases, they have experience that we’re doing to make ourselves
there are opportunities. Thomas said in the field that we’re (dealing) in. And safer, that the trend won’t continue.”
in an interview that 94 percent of driv- so they’re perfect examples of folks that he said.
ers are men, a holdover from the days we’d like to bring into our industry.” The industry continues to fight for
when driving a truck required physi- Finally, the motor carrier industry safety, despite accusations to the con-
cal strength. Now, most trucks being has had great success in safety in trary by trucking opponents. Among
manufactured are automatics, which recent years. Thomas displayed a graph Thomas’ biggest applause lines at the
means women are a huge untapped labor showing that the number of fatal ATA conference was his call for the
pool. Another potential pool is younger crashes involving large trucks fell from nation to address distracted driving
drivers. The ATA tried to include a pilot 5,042 in 1980 to 2,983 in 2009. That among all vehicles — not just trucks.
program in the FAST Act allowing some number rose to 3,424 in 2014, but “There’s nobody in this country
drivers below the age of 21 to engage in it’s still a 32 percent drop from 1980. who cares more about the safe opera-
limited interstate commerce. Currently, Likewise, over that time period the rate tion of your business and making sure
they can drive across Arkansas but not of fatal crashes involving large trucks that your drivers get in that truck in
from Texarkana, Ark., to Texarkana, Tex. per 100 million miles has dropped from the morning and they come back home
Unfortunately, the provision was watered 4.65 to 1.23. Since 1980 the numbers to their families every night than you,
down to include only current or past occasionally have risen, but the long- and so I reject the idea that these safety
members of the military under age 21 — a term trend is downward. According to advocates somehow have a larger inter-
small number of potential drivers. Thomas, being safe and being profitable est in safety than we do,” he said in
The military also remains an excel- are not mutually exclusive — in fact, the an interview. “And so I don’t call them
lent potential market. The ATA is work- most profitable carriers are often the safety advocates. I call them anti-truck
ing on the legislative front to fast-track safest ones. groups.” ATR

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