What issues are most important to the trucking sector right now?
As it has done for 19 years, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has answered that question with its annual Critical Issues In The Trucking Industry report, with the 2023 version released just last week.
Supply Chain Digest Says...
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On the second ranked issue, lack of truck parking, respondents would like to see the truckers advocate for a dedicated federal funding program to increase truck parking capacity at freight-critical locations.
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What do you say? |
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As it has done for 19 years, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has answered that question with its annual Critical Issues In The Trucking Industry report, with the 2023 version released just last week.
To produce the report, ATRI conducted a large-scale survey using its own contact database (32,000+ contacts), ATRI’s regular Sirius/XM radio shows, major trucking industry trade press, truck driver groups and through the 50 State Trucking Associations. The 2023 survey launched August 28, 2023, and remained open for responses through September 29.
The 2023 survey asked respondents to select their top three choices from a list of 26 critical issues, and subsequently rank their top three preferred strategies that correspond to each selected issue. Once again this year, write-in responses were allowed for both the top issues and the strategies.
Impressively, over 4,000 industry stakeholders across North America submitted survey responses. Motor carrier executives and personnel represented 47.8% of total respondents, followed by professional truck drivers at 29% and other industry stakeholders, including industry suppliers, driver trainers, and law enforcement, at 23.2%.
Across all respondents, the Economy was selected as the top industry concern in 2023.
The lack of available Truck Parking rose one spot this year to the second ranked issue, followed by Fuel Prices. The Driver Shortage dropped two spots this year to rank fourth overall and Driver Compensation continued as a top-five industry concern, ranking fifth overall in 2023.
Driver Distraction returned to the top 10 list for the first time since 2018 as the seventh-ranked concern and Zero-Emission Vehicles entered the top 10 for the first time this year, ranking tenth overall. See graphic below:
Source: ATRI
What do truckers, drivers and other stakeholders recommended be done about these key issues?
(See More Below)
On the second ranked issue, lack of truck parking, respondents would like to see the truckers advocate for a dedicated federal funding program to increase truck parking capacity at freight-critical locations.
They would also like to see efforts to push local and regional governments to reduce the regulatory burdens limiting the construction and expansion of truck parking facilities.
On the third ranked issue relative fuel prices, the report included data from respondents on use of alternative fuel trucks. The use is very low, especially when considering it could involve just a single truck in a fleet.
That noted, just 6.2% of carriers said they were using compressed natural gas (CNG), 5.1% battery electric, 2.1% liquid natural gas (LNG). No carriers said they were using hydrogen fuel cell-based trucks.
Relative to the driver shortage (fourth ranked issue), respondents recommended research on the primary factors behind drivers leaving trucking careers as the top solution. The second recommendation had to do with allowing 18-20 year old drivers on federal highways, as several states do on their own roads.
But interestingly, higher pay for drivers was not on the list of the top three solution to this issue – though the issue of driver compensation ranked as the top issue for commercial drivers, it wasn’t in the top 10 for carriers.
It’s an interesting report as always. It is available here: Critical Issues in Trucking 2023
Any thoughts on these top trucking issue? Let us know your thoughts at the Feedback section below.
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Dave
manager, Benx |
Posted on: Nov, 21 2023 |
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| Why does noone pays attention to the freight rate which is not at all making any sense for the carrier to run their trucks on the road. How can you run trucks with a driver at $ 1.3/mile? This is rubbish and people will start disappearing from trucks. The way the rates are it is not even paying the driver, just the fuel. What about tolls, equipment maintenance, insurance and other expenses? Is is a horrible situation. |
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