Is Allowing Teenage Truckers to Haul Interstate Cargo the Answer to the Driver Shortage? Industry Groups Say Yes

December 10, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

“Regulatory flexibilities, especially during emergencies, are vital to supply chain continuity,” wrote a coalition of trucking industry groups in a recent letter to President Joe Biden.

This statement comes as part of an overarching request to ease federal truck driver testing requirements in an effort to find a solution for the current ongoing truck driver shortage in the United States. This particular request calls for methods of allowing teenage drivers to begin entering the industry as interstate truck drivers.

In fact, new legislature implemented by Biden will allow drivers between the ages of 18 and 21 to operate commercial motor vehicles across state lines as part of a three-year pilot program. This program–which became part of the new infrastructure bill as a way to help the trucking industry meet demands at a time where the driver shortage has reached 80,000 truckers–has received strong opposition from industry safety advocates. The most prevalent argument against the new rule? Teenage drivers are involved in car accidents and crashes at a rate of four times more than their older counterparts.

“Allowing teens to drive big rigs across state borders in the face of research showing that this age group has significantly higher fatal crash rates is reckless and dangerous,” said co-chair of Parents Against Tired Truckers, Russ Swift. “An empty store shelf is not as tragic as an empty chair at Christmas dinner because your loved one needlessly died in a crash caused by a teen trucker.”

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety president Cathy Chase agreed, noting that allowing such young drivers to operate CMVs would allow for “inexperienced, risk-prone teenagers” to bring higher safety risks to everyone on the road.

In addition, more flexible hours-of-service regulations have been extended during the pandemic and the shortage, continuing from a Trump-era exemption allowing drivers to extend their on-duty periods to 14 hours and to be able to split their rest breaks how they’d like. Initially, truckers were limited by the Department of Transportation to driving only 11 hours a day with at least one mandatory half-hour break in the first eight hours of their on-duty period. This flexibility arguably worsens the ongoing issue of truck driver fatigue, which reduces overall safety on America’s roadways.

“Long workdays, excessive driving hours, and unreasonable delivery demands jeopardize the safety of truck drivers and motorists,” said president of the Truck Safety Coalition, Dawn King.

Still, the trucking industry stays convinced that the most practical way to ease the shortage, boost the economy, and meet rising e-commerce demands is to lower the minimum age of transporting this cargo.

“Older drivers are leaving and retiring, and we’re not bringing in younger drivers to replace them fast enough,” said John Stomps, CEO of Total Transportation of Mississippi, noting that he believes this is the only way to help the current strain on the country’s supply chain.

Executive vice president for advocacy at American Trucking Associations, Bill Sullivan, has tried reassuring these safety advocates that trucking companies will prioritize safety when they onboard such young interstate truckers.

“The last thing any of our members want to do is do this unsafely,” he said. “We want to produce a driver who is at least as safe as a21-year-old.

The coalition of trucking industry organizations that wrote to Biden about pushing forward regulation relaxations are also working to ensure truck drivers are not mandated to become vaccinated against COVID-19, claiming that truck drivers spend the majority of their work days alone. Because of this, they believe a mandate would be unnecessary and may cause more truckers to leave the industry itself.

“We’re not anti-vaccine, but in our survey of 120,000 truckers, 50% were vaccinated and 50% weren’t vaccinated,” said Sullivan. “37% of all drivers said they would go to a company that doesn’t have a vaccine mandate or leave the industry altogether.”

These added flexibilities may help ease the long-term truck driver shortage and help the industry meet the current demands of the country, but it’s clear that keeping shipments efficient is more important to many industry members than the safety of truckers or other drivers with whom they share the road.

Legislation lowering the minimum age for operating commercial motor vehicles across state lines is highly likely to come to fruition, industry experts believe.

Most Electric Vehicles Are Not as Reliable as Expected, New Report Shows

December 9, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

In a recent study by Consumer Reports, reliability around new electric vehicles isn’t as high as most people may think.

In fact, Tesla Inc.’s battery-powered electric vehicles ranked nearly last for the second year in a row in terms of consumer reliability, with Ford Motor Co.’s Lincoln division ranking even worse. Clearly, the most innovative technology doesn’t mean it’s the best–or safest–right away.

“A lot of EVs are at the high end of the market and have a lot of new tech, like new ways to open the doors,” said Consumer Reports’ senior director of auto testing, Jake Fisher. “It’s causing problems.”

Apparently, the low reliability in these kinds of vehicles doesn’t necessarily pertain to electric batteries, but rather to the technological updates manufacturers like Tesla bring into the cab to help these cars feel luxurious and innovative–such as switching typically mechanical controls for digital ones.

For instance, many electric cars have large touch screens and even informational and entertainment systems implemented in their cabs, with software updates available via download from the cloud. With all of these modern changes, many manufacturers have yet to get everything working smoothly and efficiently, according to Consumer Reports. Tesla’s Model X SUV, Model Y SUV, and Model S sedan are all below-average in their current reliability tanking.

Additionally, Volkswagen’s ID.4 EV and Audi’s E-Tron rank below average in reliability, Fisher noted. Only Ford’s Mustang Mach-E and Tesla’s Model 3 have decent rankings. Following behind are GM’s Chevrolet in 14th place, Ford in 18th, and Stellantis NV’s Jeep brand in 26th.

Still, some brands did rank particularly well, with Japanese manufacturers making up the majority of high-ranking reliable electric vehicles. In first place was Lexus, with Mazda, Toyota, Infiniti, and Buick close behind. Behind those were Honda, Subaru, Acura, Nissan, and Mini, with the only non-Japanese manufacturers in the top 10 being Buick by GM and Mini by BMW. The success of Japanese makers, Fisher said, is that they tend to implement new tech gradually with fewer major engineering changes, keeping digital difficulties to a minimum.

Of course, many of these automakers also manufacture commercial trucks, which are, of course, leaning toward electric vehicle technology lately, as well. Because of this, these reliability reports are important to keep in mind for trucking companies looking to bring new electric CMVs into their fleets.

Companies may also be jumping the gun in regards to getting their truckers into electrically-powered big rigs, noted Levinson and Stefani’s Ken Levinson. Levinson said that he supports technological innovations, especially in the transportation industry–but keeping drivers well-informed and behaving safety should always be top priority.

“It comes down to training,” he said. “There’s always going to be technological changes with trucks, but safety companies need to make sure their drivers are trained to operate these vehicles in the best and safest manner so people aren’t injured or killed. “

Although younger drivers entering the industry may feel much more comfortable and natural working with all of these tech updates within the cabs of their trucks, older truck drivers are likely to have a harder time getting used to these changes and being able to work with them easily while also operating their vehicles. This has the potential to cause a plethora of safety issues if drivers aren’t trained and ready to spend their work days in these tech-heavy cabs.

“One of the biggest issues with this new tech is that there will be distractions within the dash and console area, and many drivers need to be re-trained to make sure they aren’t distracted or confused by the technology,” Levinson continued. “They can’t be taking their eyes off of the road and harming someone.”

Sharing the road with truckers learning to operate these new kinds of trucks adds to the alertness passenger drivers need to practice while driving near them, and makes defensive driving even more imperative. Distracted and fatigued driving is already a major issue in the trucking industry; focusing on in-cab tech may exacerbate that potential truck driver distraction.

“Hiring safe drivers that are experienced, and making sure that when they are hired, they’re well-versed in safety protocols and practices, is key,” said Levinson. But passenger drivers should be extra careful around these truckers, regardless of how well-trained they may be.

HOS Regulation Waivers Extended Once Again

December 6, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Because of COVID-19 continuing to wreak havoc across the United States, regulatory waivers are being extended by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regarding the permitted work time for truck drivers.

For commercial truckers driving property-carrying trucks, the maximum driving time has been extended once again–this time until February 28th, 2022.

“Although the number of COVID-19 cases began to decline in the U.S. following widespread introduction of vaccinations, persistent issues arising out of COVID-19 continue to affect the U.S., including impacts on supply chains and the need to ensure capacity to respond to variants and potential rises in infections,” said the FMCSA.

Because of this, commercial carriers and drivers are eligible for the hours-of-service regulation waiver, particularly those working to haul COVID relief-related medical supplies as well as any transportation regarding medical care services and other necessary pandemic response efforts.

“Therefore, a continued exemption is needed to support direct emergency assistance for some supply chains,” continued FMCSA in its waiver announcement. “This extension of the modified emergency declaration addresses national emergency conditions that create a need for immediate transportation of essential supplies and provides necessary relief from the [Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations] for motor carriers and drivers.”

Still, the hours-of-service waiver is limited to transporters of public safety-related goods such as masks, hand sanitizer, soap, medical gloves, disinfectants, vaccines, kits for the administration of vaccines, and vaccine-related ancillary supplies. Additionally, the waiver includes the transportation of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethyl alcohol, food, paper products, and the emergency restocking of any distribution hub, as well as the transportation of livestock and livestock feed. Commercial drivers and carriers with current out-of-service orders are excluded from this waiver.

This emergency regulatory waiver declaration was first announced by FMCSA this summer in an effort to provide regulatory relief in regards to the maximum driving time mandates for both passenger-carrying vehicles and property-carrying vehicles. This declaration was initially designed to ease the strain on the United States’ supply chain, while the White House worked to find additional methods of expediting freight movement.

To do so, the Biden Administration implemented a specific task force that brought about new ways of keeping the country’s freight moving efficiently during the pandemic era; COVID-19 has been blamed as the major factor in commercial supply chain disruption.

Previous hours-of-service relaxation efforts allowed truckers to extend their daily driving time by two hours when working in inclement weather and to drive a total of 14 hours instead of 12. Additionally, drivers were originally allowed to divide their mandatory 10-hour rest breaks into 5-5 or 6-4 hours periods with further control of that time usage–whether they decided to use that particular time to rest or not.

Many safety advocates have lamented these flexibility-boosted waivers, citing the issue of truck driver fatigue—an issue that has become more serious than what recent statistics have shown. In fact, the National Transportation Safety Board has focused heavily on fatigued driving, going as far as to add the overall reduction of fatigue-related traffic accidents to its ‘Most Wanted List’ of safety boosts for 2019 and 2020.

“Drowsy driving does not leave telltale signs,” said the board. “It is widely believed to be underreported on police crash forms.”

The trucking industry has also had a history of high levels of spending in regards to congressional lobbying and campaign contributions related to added flexibility for both truck drivers and their companies, explained FairWarning.

“These [proposals] are opportunities for drivers to be pushed to their limits further, to drive without resting,” said Truck Safety Coalition executive director, Harry Adler. “It’s more [of an] opportunity for a driver to operate while fatigued, which is really detrimental.”

If government proposals like these “are going to keep the highways as safe as–or safer than–they currently exist,” the American Trucking Association needs to dive deeper into the reality of trucker fatigue, said vice president of ATA safety policy, Dan Horvath. “We are not quick to give an immediate response. We really do take the time to do a thorough review, to work with our members.”

Driver Schools See High Numbers of Potential Drivers Amid Shortage, Some Offer Incentives

December 3, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

“It’s an exciting time to be a truck driver right now because there’s so much demand for drivers,” said director of the California Truck Driving Academy, Tina Singh. “Our yards are busy, and they’re very vibrant with a lot of activity.”

The truck driver school, based in Los Angeles, has seen more potential truck drivers walk through its doors recently than it has in quite a while, which can likely be attributed to the long-running truck driver shortage taking place across the country that has brought with it competitive pay and benefit offers from fleets desperate to onboard more truckers.

Since 2020, the California Truck Driving Academy has had a nearly 20% boost in enrollment and may even begin offering night classes to meet demands, according to Singh.

“Everything in this country runs by truck at some point or another,” she said. “And so, you know, you need truck drivers to move goods.”

Because the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a major increase in e-commerce and online shopping habits, consumer spending has risen 15% over the last year, with production numbers reaching numbers of 5% more than before the start of the pandemic as manufacturers step up to meet the demand for goods as efficiently as possible.

Additionally, many employees in a variety of industries decided to leave jobs during the pandemic that caused them to frequently come into contact with other people. Because of this, goods transport worker, retail staffer, and ship-unloading worker shortages skyrocketed, as did the overall shortage of truck drivers–which has reached about 80,000, noted University of Southern California’s Marshall Center for Global Supply Chain Management’s executive director, Nick Vyas.

The California Truck Driving Academy has also seen boosts in potential drivers showing up for training due to a clearly stretched-thin supply chain at ports in Long Beach and Los Angeles, where many ships are often waiting off the coast for unloading for long periods of time (the average wait is currently at 17 days, although port efforts are operating 24/7).

By filling these vacant roles, “you’re kind of helping the community out, and you’re making money at the same time,” said Academy student Thierno Barry. “It’s a win-win situation.”

Driving schools in other states are also doing their part to ease the exacerbated driver shortage. FleetForce Truck Driving School is now working with the Florida Trucking Association in an effort to bring more truckers into the industry.

FTA-affiliated companies are currently offering to pay full tuition for new truck drivers working to enter the trucking world and obtain their commercial driver’s licenses. Additionally, some students will be able to receive sign-on bonuses along with a full paycheck from the FTA-affiliated company once they’ve received their CDL and are continuing training.

“Trucking is a central part of growing and maintaining a strong economy, but it’s also a life-changing career opportunity for so many people,” said Tra Williams, CEO of FleetForce. “This new program is offering free training and guaranteed employment for applicants who meet the qualifications.”

Williams echoed Barry’s sentiments about how mutually beneficial entering the industry at this time really is for both the economy and the truckers themselves.

“There’s excellent earning potential in this industry right now, and there’s a dire need for entry-level drivers,” Williams said. “It’s a win-win.”

Covering these kinds of costs for new truckers is especially important, as training costs can often deter potential truckers from even beginning the road to employment.

“FTA is always looking for creative solutions to solve industry challenges,” said FTA President, Alix Miller. “The driver shortage limits capacity for trucking companies, and directly impacts the economy and Floridians’ daily lives. This collaboration matches some of the most well-respected companies in the state with well-trained drivers eager to get on the road.”

Right now, FleetForce is working on pre-hire screening checks to make sure incoming applicants are indeed qualified for this particular program. As for the California Truck Driving Academy–what’s currently needed the most is more truck driving instructors.

Industry Experts Focus on Workforce Updates as Supply Chain Struggles, Jay Stefani Weighs in on Safety Concerns

December 1, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

At the recent U.S. House of Representatives transportation panel, President of American Trucking Associations, Chris Spear, explained that finding solutions to current nationwide supply chain concerns should come primarily from trucking industry workforce improvement policies.

Federal transportation policymakers were urged to consider supply chain improvement proposals at the hearing by a variety of leaders in the transportation industry. Some of these potential initiatives brought to light during the discussion included an industrywide workforce development project and other methods of combating the ongoing truck driver shortage.

In fact, ATA’s Spear noted that training-focused funding throughout the most important sectors of freight would be paramount to overcoming the shortage of 80,000 drivers–especially with these problems so exacerbated by the pandemic era and the boom of e-commerce and accessibility issues that came with it.

“The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it the temporary closures of state [departments of motor vehicles] and truck driver training schools, which dried up the already-fragile pipeline of new drivers entering the trucking industry,” he said in a push for funding from the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “This pipeline is still slow and inefficient today. As a result, companies working throughout the nation’s supply chain are facing higher transportation costs leading to increased prices for consumers on everything from electronics to food.”

President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes an apprenticeship pilot program that has been strongly supported by ATA, as it will allow trained drivers under the age of 21 to operate commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce. The initiative also allows for the implementation of a training program for even younger drivers (between 18 and 20 years old) to drive Class 8 trucks across multiple states.

“The driver shortage is a looming threat that, if unaddressed, could destabilize the continuity of trucking operations with ripple effects across the supply chain that will be felt by everyday Americans,” lamented Spear, emphasizing the need for these apprenticeship programs.

Regardless of a shortage, keeping safety the priority is imperative when bringing these new and young potential truckers to the industry.

“There is nothing wrong with trying to increase the number of truck drivers to meet the needs,” said Levinson and Stefani’s Jay Stefani. “But along with the push to hire more people, there needs to be an equal increase in safety and training programs. Bringing in new drivers means bringing in inexperienced drivers–drivers who don’t have a lot of miles behind them.”

It should also be common sense that allowing these truck drivers to enter the industry in the midst of the winter season’s inclement weather is something to be avoided, as well, Stefani added.

“That is especially critical when you consider hiring inexperienced drivers right when winter is upon us,” he continued. “Driving a tractor-trailer in snowy, icy conditions is not the same as driving your four-door sedan in that same weather.”

Still, many industry experts made clear their desire to focus on efforts that would work to boost the supply chain as it stands.

“[Transportation Intermediaries Association] members continue to be industry leaders in the technology space, as they must constantly innovate to address an ever-evolving and growing industry,” said CEO and president of TIA, Anne Reinke. “For example, our members utilize the latest technology to facilitate the movement of freight from one point to another. These solutions include maximum freight visibility with real-time data, automation in the back-end office, and utilizing artificial intelligence.”

It’s also important to look toward the supply chain’s relationship with the current environmental regulations at hand, according to Association of American Railroads’ president and CEO, Ian Jefferies. At the panel, Jefferies asked Congress to make sure federal regulations set forth through the National Environmental Policy Act won’t hinder any new infrastructure coming about.

“Federal agencies should promulgate regulations that allow for careful, thorough consideration of the environmental impacts of proposed projects but in a time-limited manner that does not cause unnecessary delay,” he said. “Such an approach would expedite projects that enhance supply chain fluidity but would not prevent comprehensive, effective environmental reviews from taking place.”

These upcoming infrastructure projects are part of Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill.

“The bipartisan law will modernize our ports, our airports, [and] our freight rail to make it easier for companies to get goods to market, reduce supply chain bottlenecks–as we’re experiencing now,” said Biden, “and lower costs for you and your family.”

Truckers Go Above and Beyond to Bring Giant Christmas Tree to US Capitol

November 30, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

With the help of many transportation workers, the Capitol Christmas Tree, an 84-foot white fir, has arrived at the U.S. Capitol Building.

This year’s giant tree made its way across the country in late October, beginning in the Mad River Ranger District of the Six Rivers National Forest in California. Then, System Transport began trucking the tree across the United States as the official designated carrier for the Capitol Christmas Tree.

The 84-foot tree is one of the largest firs ever chosen for the event and was transported by a Next Generation Kenworth Truck Co. T680. This is the eighth year in a row a Kenworth big rig has hauled the capitol’s special tree.

“It’s been quite an honor for us to be a part of this,” said Kenworth’s director of marketing, Genevieve Bekkerus. “It’s something that we definitely look forward to every year.”

Scheduling and preparation for this tree-hauling typically begins about a year before the start of its trek, and a new location from which a tree is selected is chosen every year. The Capitol Christmas Tree tradition has lasted for 51 years now as a collaboration between the United States Forest Service and its partners. Of course, the tree has become affectionately known as the “People’s Tree.”

“This project would not be possible without partners and without partnerships,” said Choose Outdoors director of communications and sponsorships, Jodi Massey. “It’s a Forest Service project, but really, truly where the magic happens is [in] partnerships, and in particular, [with] those in the trucking industry that help us bring this project to life every year.” Choose Outdoors works closely with the Forest Service and its partnership initiatives.

Two teams stepped up to the plate to get this tree to Washington, and System Transport made sure six different drivers were available to handle each necessary segment of the journey. One such driver included Jeremy Bellinger, who has driven 2.5 million miles with System Transport over the last 21 years. When he heard his company would be hauling the tree, he called his supervisor right away to get involved.

Still, transporting this holiday cheer is a whole different ball game for most truckers, and this particular trip included 25 separate stops for the people within both rural regions and at large events to catch a glimpse of the tree–especially around the state of California where the tree originated.

“A lot of [the areas we stopped in] were small communities,” said one of the Capitol Tree’s drivers, Bill Brunk. “It was really cool to see the small communities come out–they were really excited about the tree.”

One particular stop for the giant tree was in Chillicothe, Ohio, the home of the Kenworth plant where the tree-hauling truck was manufactured.

“The folks there, at the Chillicothe plant, were really, really impressed with the event,” said Bekkerus. “They were really happy to see their project on the road. There’s so much passion and so much pride that goes into every build.”

An especially heartwarming stop for the tree was at the CoxHealth Dee Ann White Women and Children’s Hospital, added System Transport’s Bellinger.

“[At] the children’s hospital in Springfield, Missouri, we backed up in front of the hospital and the kids were coming out to the windows,” he recalled. “They were happy to see the truck.”

Each year’s Capitol Christmas Tree has a specific theme–this year’s is “Six Rivers, Many Peoples, One Tree,” in reference to the Six Rivers National Forest from which the tree was chosen. The tree’s public display also includes a banner for visitors to sign their names as they learn about the tree’s trip across the U.S.

“We brought a small piece of a California national forest that’s famous for its redwoods, famous for its sequoias,” said U.S. Forest Service spokesperson, Samantha Reho. “And we brought it to each community that we went to.”

The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree will be lit at a ceremony on the building’s West Lawn tomorrow, December 1st.

As for the truckers who worked those long hours to make sure the tree reached its final destination?

“They’re kind of our Santas,” said Reho.