The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) is looking for ways to help carriers determine who will be a safe driver before they’re even hired. They’ve just released part 1 of a report compiled from research they’re doing to try and develop a test to screen drivers based on specific “traits.”
In a survey conducted in 2016, carrier executives ranked the driver shortage as the number one issue in the trucking industry. The ATRI’s report lists several reasons for the driver shortage. While driver pay and overregulation don’t appear on their list, an aging driver population does.
So now the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) is looking for ways to help carriers tap into what they call the “largely untapped age group” of 18- to 25-year-olds. To do so, they’re attempting to make a tool which would allow carriers to screen drivers and know which young people will be like a “safe veteran driver.”
“As a group, the 18 to 25 year age group is characterized by elevated risk when compared to older age groups,” claims the report. “Underlying factors of this heightened risk include immature cognitive function, a tendency to impulsively approach sources of pleasure, and high risk-taking behavior rates that are often associated with preventable negative consequences.”
But not all young people will be dangerous according to the ATRI. The ATRI claims that their tool, dubbed the Younger Driver Assessment Tool, can help carriers identify young people who are “more similar to safe, experienced drivers than their peers.”
To do this, the tool will screen drivers based off of their personality traits, health, and cognition:
- Personality traits including aggressiveness, impulsivity, argumentativeness, a disagreeable nature, and sensation-seeking behaviors.
- Health traits including obesity, ADD or ADHD, fatigue or sleep disorders, substance abuse, and anxiety and mood disorders.
- Cognition traits including general cognitive ability, general problem-solving skills, attentiveness, inhibitory control of emotional responses, multitasking, and quick reactions.
The ATRI is now moving on to the next phase of the study and will be “assessing approximately 50 truck drivers of varying ages and driving experience level.” They will then compare the traits of the safe veteran drivers with those of the inexperienced new drivers and see which traits are shared and how well each driver scores.
Since 50 drivers isn’t large enough for any sort of conclusive study, the ATRI plans to use this initial test to see if the results warrant launching a larger study with “an expanded driver sample.”
While the tool is still a long way off from being used, already there are fleets who are excited about the prospect of being able to further screen their drivers.
“The potential to screen for the safest candidates among younger new entrants is an exciting step in the industry’s workforce expansion,” said an executive at Roehl Transport according to Heavy Duty Trucking. “We look forward to working with ATRI in the development and testing of the Younger Driver Assessment Tool.”
Source: truckinginfo, trucknews, ccj, atri
They lost me at the driver shortage. Anyone who believes in this driver shortage is an idiot with zero knowledge of basic economics. And then they state driver pay or overregulation aren’t factors. This ATRI group is a joke.
Well, I would disagreeing slightly. The increased pressure of J.I.T. Logistics combined with more stringent control of driver time contributes to the “shortage”. It isn’t a shortage in total capacity, but what the (especially larger) companies mean by shortage is “we need a pool of part timers that are waiting in the wings to move freight the moment it appears”.
So it’s a “waiting driver shortage”. Ya know?
100% CORRECT.
Supply and demand.
Huge example of the results of CRONEY capitolism
There’s not a shortage of drivers. There is a shortage of good companies to drive for. But it’s not all the fault of companies. Slow trucks, over regulated, not enough parking, low cents per mile, wasted time waiting to load/unload all add up to a lousy job for anyone especially younger people. Lots of better paying careers available today that allow younger men/women to make more money and be home with their young families.
Change the pay and conditions and companies will attract more drivers.
Discrimination tools, all I have read is way’s to deny a good driver a job!
If there was truly a driver shortage then pay, benefits, and respect level to drivers would be a lot higher.
No shortage of drivers. Just shortage of cheap laborers that have low standards. 😉
sounds alot like “profiling”
LmaO.
There isn’t a driver shortage, it’s that companies do not want to pay the drivers fir the duties they have performed.
Things they’ll try to NOT PAY you for:
detention
layover
breakdown
Always short you when reimbursing you for out of pocket expenses on their equipment.
The list goes on…
None of your complaints are a factor I have had to deal with at the company I work for. So your “always” statements sound like a continuous self inflicted problem because of who YOU choose to work for.
Give us a clue John – who do you work for? Yes there are many out there better not satisfactory employees. They’re all so many out there who most of the drivers could fit in with if they just willing to look for them… And not treat it as a job but as a career. And most truck drivers – true truck drivers that really love Trucking, want it as a career not a job. So give us a clue, who do you work for? Looking for a career not a job with more than 25 years in hyphen with big companies as well as small. Some good some bad some great some just okay. Each driver needs to find his Niche for what he’s looking for whether it be salary, time off, home time, but especially safe and content.
It’s not a driver shortage, It’s a shortage of good safe drivers willing to put up with shit wages, So many regulations that even the regulations have regulations, And being treated like sub human trash while being punished for taking ANY home time.
Fix any of the above and you will have more happy safe drivers then you can handle.
Like I keep repeating over and over….if this is your real luf experience….what are you working for the company that you do? There’s better ones out here…move on, or quit bitching.
Sleep studies, HOS, ELogs, DOT enforcement, CARB, In cab cameras, speed limiters, exspensive tolls, the ATA, who always has the best interest of the industry at heart ( Swift, Schnieders, Knight Werner) just to name a few. Now we have ATRI designing yet another test to weed out drivers for the so called shortage. What other type of general employment does this to its work force? I can’t imagine why it’s hard to get OTR drivers when a person could drive or haul locally and make just about the same or better money without some regulatory body telling them when and how much they can work and be home every night. But hey who am I? I don’t have letters beside my name from a big fancy college, I’m just an average Joe lunch boxer with reasonable common sense and no agenda other than to make a living with least amount of interference from the alphabet gang. Its getting really hard to do. Let’s see what the next big study is for the good of the industry?
Until the trucking industry stops lying two drivers about the mileage you going to have turnover. I’ve driven for a lot of big companies they tell you all the great miles that you’re going to get and end up with 16 or 1800 miles for the week can’t make a living on that . they tell you that they’re going to pay you detention pay and they find Every Witch Way not to pay you. If you’re going to live in a truck it’s not worth it unless you make about 55 to 60 thousand a year. One week vacation come on, work in a bank like Discover card or JP Morgan you get 3 to 5 weeks. They look for every excuse in the world not to pay you oh you haven’t driven for 6 months you got to start at the bottom again and you can go on and on and on. My favorite job I’ve ever had and I’m 61 years old is driving tractor trailer. The problem is nobody wants to pay you bottom line is money money money. I’ve only worked for one Honest Company my whole Trucking career and that was Maverick out of Little Rock Arkansas. Most big companies lie to you they run you into the ground mentally. Deregulation didn’t help either thank you Jimmy Carter. You want to see less driver turnover stop screwing with people’s heads. It’s amazing that a doctor can operate on you and be on his 21st hour Non-Stop but truck driver can only drive 11 hours in 14 .This 11 and 14 is a bunch of crap it forces you to drive tired the old way was much better sometimes these peoples make rules that they never have to do every single day. Truck stop food sucks well then again most people really don’t know how to eat properly. But that’s another topic for another day.
Honestly….it doesn’t sound like you could be happy out here under any circumstances. Yes, the industry has its issues. But people who can’t adapt to changes and find new ways to work within the system given, are just people who need to turn in their card and do something else. I only consider myself a mid career driver. Just reaching the 3 Million miles mark. But I have rolled with the changes and every time they make new changes, I find ways to if not make them work for me, then limit the negativity of it as best as I can and roll on. I keep hearing complaining about pay. I make $80-90k a year as a solo. Not as a trainer. I get whatever home time I ask for. A couple more years and I’ll get 3 weeks vacation. I’m frequently driver of the month, or year. Often one of the top few most productive in the entire company of over 5000 drivers. I’m very successful. The answer to how is simple….I WORK for it, at it. I bust my hump and use every tool available to give me an advantage. Put in the effort with the better companies, and give 120%, and you’ll be rewarded.
How about some constructive information? Name of your fantastic company? I don’t want a job, I too make the best of my situation and am happy where I am at. I don’t need to belittle
my fellow driver for posting his/her opinion, just too prove how smart and important I am. It doesn’t affect my life or paycheck when people post their thoughts on this website! You obviously have a lot of extra time on your hands to complain about most of the posts on this web site. God bless you and I hope you continue to live a happy life. PS Save reply….waste of your time, I don’t come back to read what people think of the post. Lol
Driver shortage – HAH! It’s caused by the ATA companies (Werner, Crete, Schneider, England, JB Hunt, etc) buying trucks in thousand-unit lots, then having a hard time filling them.
For what it’s worth – I’m 53, and have ADHD. Have had it since before they had a name for it. Turns out I can control it with the foods I eat. One of the effects I have, and have channeled well, is the need to do things right and safe the first time. Knock wood, so far in 32 years, no tickets, no accidents, no jackknifes, no rollovers. But I can see uncontrolled ADHD would be bad…
It really is sad because I think of all the people with health issues driving these big vehicles and I have to say, I really don’t think it is good that some are allowed to put other peoples lives at risk because trucking is the job of choice. I’m sure it is possible to find something safer.
I really don’t mean to offend anyone, it just seems like it should be common sense.🤔
Apply the same logic to “all” licensed drivers.
Did you guys se those screning data paoints? “Aggressiveness” “argumenativeness” “inhibitory control of emotional responses”…
Let’s cut to the chase. They want docile automatons who will accept all commands with no demands.
Haha. Well ok then, biocomputers it is then 😉
I hear they don’t want bad spellers either hehehehe…
Your right they just want drivers who will not fight back when the trucking companies, cops,and the government screws them over with low pay, and more regulations .” Just keep you mouth shut, and DO AS YOU’RE TOLD ! Does that sound like manipulation, and control over you ? Your life can be ruined by people you don’t even know…think about that for a while.Makes you feel safe.don’t it?
Personally I see this ATRI as just another form of individual discrimination. It’s an expanded version of a personality test that was banned in the seventies as discrimination after many “undesirable types” of employees lost their jobs.
And if there is such a driver shortage why am I being told freight is slow… I haul produce!
I got a novel idea can we please make , sure a they are trainable or can at least drive , I have almost been ran over or run into by the young wet behind the ears so call truck drivers. That haven’t done anything but got there train wheels and think they know it all . It is a learning experience everyday.
Of course there is a driver shortage for large carriers. That’s what you get when you want to pay drivers peanuts and work them up to 14 hrs a day.
Not to mention the possibility of of trucks becoming self driving at some point in the future.
Why would anyone in that age group
Choose to drive for a living?
I make up to $90k a year working for a *large* company and no, I’m not a trainer. Just bust my ass and use everything at my disposal.
We’re is the pool of new licensed driver’s originally come from? How well are they as Driver’s, as a whole in ALL 50 state’s? ARE the young driver’s being Hired from the TWO about questions? I believe so!
The issues are (3) fold!
First, if this driver pool can NOT drive a 6-9 foot, “Four, (4) Wheeler” without issue’s; then the pool of driver’s Your looking for Needs better TRAINING! PERIOD!
Training them RIGHT, the FIRST time is SO MUCH better; so the learned behavior is correct from the start!
Retraining a driver with a prior learned driver behavior with Safety issues, is very, Very, HARD to unlearn and to correct!
Teaching the driver pool; our 50 State’s, Driver pools how to correctly, navigate a 4 Wheeler on the roads of America is top priority!
Too many time’s, new CDL licensed driver’s drive these T/T’s like they would a 4 Wheeler! It doesn’t work out the same; creating preventable accident’s on ” BOTH side’s”!
The 50 state Driver pool Need to be educated About road safety Also! This is my 2nd issue! Let me ask a logical question please! Just we’re do we ALL start out from in driving?
Some on a Farm; working the fields on a tractor! While a majority will go through a poorly exicuted High school class seeking State driver’s license for a “(4) Wheeler” The issue’s Here are HUGE to public safety! ARE they trained in the nature of how a “70-75 Foot, Semi” ; 1) pull’s out from a Stop?,; 2) How much room we need to make a left or right hand turn safely w/o getting pinched off by a 4 Wheeler? 3) how long does it take to get this truck to 25, 55 mph? 4) 4 Wheeler’s like to draft Our trailers to save on GAS! Another 4 Wheeler Safety issue! This car driver driving behind this T/T surely can’t see down the road, nor anticipate a stopping point coming quickly, thus a poorly educated 4 Wheeler rearends the Moving T/T due to following too close without any clues a safety issue’s in front of him or the T/T! 5) how long does it take to STOP this Truck and Trailer? 6) do 4 Wheeler’s know of ALL of the Truck and Trailer Blind Spots and why NOT, Not to stay in them? No they don’t! They’re uneducated, remain in these Blind Spots, giving T/T Driver’s issues on how to get them out of these area’s and get BACK, BACK your “Free Space” or Out if a Lane is needed! These 4 Wheeler’s remain there because they’re” Scared Too death” to Even pass! If these 4 Wheeler’s we’re safely trained to Pass quickly, get out of the trucks blind spots and to keep Eye’s on the driver’s Front Steers in relationship to the Lane’s painted markings as a guide in getting past a big Semi,! Instead they look to their right at this big Trailer believing it’s coming into their lane! What’s the best, Best way to tell if a driver is HOLDING his or her Lane? Study their left Front Steer, if your passing on the left! If it is holding it’s Lane, get past it, create space in front of the truck turn signal get over maintain your faster Speed! 6) Many 4 Wheeler’s can’t safely drive around other 4 Wheeler’s on the road! They create a HUGE percentage of Our accidents on our nation’s roads! They were not trained well enough to be safe behind the wheel! Their steering wheel is no different than a T/T steering wheel, now is it? Nope! 7) Are they trained to allow a Truck and Trailer over to make a proper Lane change? Nope!
and finally my 3rd issue!
Children learn what they live! YES this is Very true! If a child sitting in a car seeing Mom putting her face on in the visor mirror, while trying to drive down the road! Is this DISTACTED Driving? YES, Big Time! How about ” Driving the cell phone and talking the car” Ever heard of this or see you parents doing this? YES you have! How about texting while driving? Being a driver myself I can see down into the car’s as they pass me on the left Lanes and sometimes on the far right Lane’s when it needed or required to be in the middle Lane! Yes! How about feeding theirs face’s while driving! YES I’ve seen that Also! Ask yourself, do your learning children see this Also? YES, YES they Do! It’s called learned behavior! They think my Dad and Mom can do this, so it must be safe for me to do it while driving? Wrong! By Very bad examples we reinforce the wrong idea’s and unsafe driving conditions to our unlearned children by other’s!
This goes back to my FIRST Points!
Teaching them is a daily process when they are Young, by example! You get to correct outcome when the correct input is teached!
These ideas of mine are NOT original nor have they been Said before! They have!
But now teaching to the driver when they have been learned incorrect by VERY bad examples is Even harder!
Unlearing a bad behavior is hard to undo!
4 Wheeler’s, we’re we ALL start out from need to learn proper driving skills and have safety training about Semi’s also! We share the roads but the 4Wheelers; know nearly nothing About the other vehicles on the roads with them! Nope they know nearly nothing but are expected to have knowledge about the other? Nope doesn’t work that way! You ONLY learn About Truck Safety, when your starting out with a CDL and further eduction!
Important point; we ALL start out as a 4 Wheeler, yes? I believe this is So!
DOES it happen The other way? Very rarely if ever!
So to make our roads safe from the start Driver’s First start learning about Truck safety as well as 4 Wheeler Safety! Yup, this is a Big league idea!
In closing, if learning about Safety issues about Semi’s while getting ready for your 4 Wheeler Licence, is a Great idea, think about the possibility of some of these Driver’s who would of been afraid of Semi’s, Now trained differently, now might be available to become our New hires each Year!
What an idea!
Why does this story even make news? My company was doing this type of testing 5 years ago (and likely still is). No screening targeting younger people though; I believe every driver candidate was required to submit to the testing, regardless of age or experience.
They would score you on a percentile from 50-100. Of course the people scoring the highest were:
A: Totally submissive to company authority
B: Followed company policy to the letter without deviation
C: Unwilling to take personal initiative and instead deferred to company directives if in doubt.
It’s no wonder so many drivers are ex-military. So many places are run like a boot camp. Drivers are expected to just follow orders and keep their mouths shut.
In a & b the words totally submissive and without deviation – yeah the company would like this. A truck driver is responsible to the D O T rules many times of which are not the rules of the company because the company wants profit not lip. This is to the detriment of the truck driver. Heads up people. The trip driver’s license is totally at stake if he does not follow the OT rules. Therefore if those rules do not mail the with the company the truck driver has the ultimate Authority and should have, because it is their license their life and others around them with their lives, not the company personnel and certainly not the dispatchers who make a percentage of the jobs they send the drivers out on. However in too many cases the truck drivers that passed this test must follow see also are they are eliminated from the company. California laws have that rural in there that states they can be dismissed without cause at any time. This should never be on any job much less a truck drivers. Not if the. Expects them to follow the d o teasy laws and rules. But so many of the truck drivers Comet evenin signing company papers explaining their job, feel that they cannot contest against a job they’re given, a route they are given, but more importantly the time limit and what’s there to do something because the personnel and dispatchers do not allow enough time in order for them to follow the dot rules. They also don’t give them my personal time off like they’ve been promised. So these tests should not be for the drivers as much as they should be for the company and the company room should be investigated to see if they follow in every word that the OT rules for the drivers and that they are monitored regularly to make sure they are following those rules.
Maybe there should be a test for the CEO’s of these trucking companies and see if their personality traits are desirable.
They lost me at “pay and overregulation not a factor.
You’re right Mac. That has a lot to do with it also not to be eliminated.
How will this new test explain why nobody is in line to take the test?
Can they come up with a test for honest dispatchers , honest company owners , and honest DOT personnel ??? Can the get the liars & thieves out of the offices and into jail ??? Sounds like another way to intrude into a drivers life !!!
You need to add 10 year equivalents to experience Beyond The Five-Year Plus. 5 year plus doesn’t even begin to tap into those drivers who have been on the road for 10 to 25 years and are still young enough to get enough yours in with one individual company in order to retire. Plus they have experience Way Beyond a 5-year plus driver that keeps them on the road as safer drivers but makes them invaluable as to experiences on the road, and to be used as training personnel as well. A good part of that experience is not only as Trainers for driving jobs, but Trainers for and very good individually dispatcher trainers and for dispatcher jobs themselves when they do not want to be on the road themselves anymore but that has been their career and they love being in the trucking industry. So many dispatchers and other company Personnel have never even been in a truck. All of them should be required to have at least a month training maybe not as a driver per se but I have a passenger for their company to see what goes out there on the road and what drivers have to put up with. Additionally with all companies now going on elogs as was planned years ago, these dispatchers and employees need to know what the drivers are up against in trying to find an adequate parking spots for their vehicles that are safe not only for those out there driving in four wheelers and other vehicles but for the drivers themselves.