Trucking Industry Hopes Republicans Can Help With Concerns

The trucking industry’s top concerns were recently highlighted in an October 2014 survey by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). The ATRI report was based on the responses of 1,444 industry drivers, carriers and suppliers. Results show that Hours of Service (HOS) followed by Driver Shortage and Compliance, and Safety and Accountability (CSA) remain the top three issues for the industry.

“As was the case in 2013, the HOS rules are once again at the top of the industry’s list of concerns as the supply chain continues to experience negative impacts from the changes to the rules which went into effect in July 2013,”said the report. “Coming in as a very close second place this year is the Driver Shortage which, like the HOS rules, continues to plague the supply chain at large as motor carriers struggle to find qualified drivers to meet freight demand. Anecdotally, numerous carriers are now turning away revenue and loads due exclusively to the driver shortage, which could have an impact on economic growth as well as inflation. Rounding out the top three is CSA. Although it experienced a drop in ranking from last year, concerns over how carrier safety performance is evaluated under CSA keep it near the top of the list.”