As we close out 2021, what would you say are the most important issues facing the trucking industry? If you spend a lot of time out on the highways, you have a good idea of what circumstances, laws, and political debates may present obstacles in the year ahead. To highlight those issues and propose ways to further exploration for improvement, the American Transportation Research institute (ATRI) released their annual report, Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry – 2021.
Released back in October, the report identified the following issues as critical topics for the year:
Diesel Technician Shortage
We want to mention this issue first because it’s the first time the concern has ever made it into ATRI’s annual critical issues report. While the demand for diesel technicians is expected to grow by 8% from 2020 to 2030, you also have to consider the large number of older mechanics expected to retire from the field in the near future. Add the rise of labor shortages across the country due to the pandemic, and you have the potential for slowdowns in a field that is critical to the trucking industry.
Truck Driver Shortage
Everyone is hearing about shortage of truck drivers in 2021, but it isn’t a new concern for the ATRI. This issue has been listed in the annual critical issues report for the past five years. There’s just a much larger focus on the issue due to supply chain complications in the wake of the pandemic.
Driver Compensation and Truck Parking
These issues tied as the number one concerns for truck drivers participating in the 2021 ATRI critical issues survey. There are new TA and Love’s truck stops opening across the country in 2022, which should provide some additional parking for commercial vehicles. The issue is still guaranteed to surface as an issue for drivers in the new year, along with driver demands for more fair compensation.
Lawsuit Abuse Reform
You probably haven’t seen this issue in the local news, but it has been a primary concern in the trucking industry for many years. Rampant lawsuit abuse against truck drivers has substantially increased the price of insurance for drivers. This includes laws that are often used to put truck drivers and carriers at a disadvantage in court after an accident.
About the ATRI Critical Issues Report
The ATRI collects data regarding the biggest concerns in the trucking industry every year by asking truck drivers and others in the field to complete a survey. Approximately 25% of survey respondents in 2021 identified themselves as active truck drivers.
If you want to read more about the most pressing trucking issues for 2021, you can download the ATRI report online.
Source: truckingresearch.com
Parking, I was out the the summer of 2020 with a lease truck. most nights I would waste two hours trying to find a parking spot. tailgating is a huge issue. hard nose drivers out there running down company drivers who have onboard cameras that keep them running at a safe distance and speed constantly have some jacked up driver on their bumper raising hell because they’re going 4 mph faster.. also communication, there’s absolutely none anymore, too many language barriers.
You pretty much nailed it
Most drivers try to sleep at night, because government is telling us how long we are consider safe to drive. So we sleep and not drive, but the roads are still not any safer. And it don’t take a rocket scientist to see that. Government always knows what’s best for every driver, in’s sizes fits all. Lol
LET’S GO BRANDON!!!!
FJB!!!!
TRUMP WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Elds, Hours of service, foreign drivers, work visa drivers, driver training and trainers, unfair and discriminatory taxes, discriminatory tolls, crooked CVSA, the crooked FMCSA, crooked Attorney’s, self insured companies that hire unsafe drivers, drugs(legal and illegal), discriminatory parking fees, stupid idiot 4 wheelers, roads, shippers and receivers, pay, corrupt brokers, who steal from drivers. Do I need to go on?
Way too much government control. You have drivers out here driving trucks that have electronic devices on them that will not allow them to be safe whether they know it or not like for example that little bumper piece they have that stops them from getting close to the truck in front of them so they can pass them so they whipped there truck out in front of a faster truck like mine with a truck length in a half and it takes them ten miles to get around them if they get around them at all. Way too many drivers listening to idiot insurance people on their first day of training they forget that people coming on the freeway do not have the right to force you out of your lane causing other traffic to slam on brakes and back up traffic so you can move over to let that vehicle on unsafely. Yield signs have disappeared from on ramps for some reason in many states. Uniformity with all state laws into a federal law instead of having different laws for every state.. for example you see an emergency vehicle on the side of the highway slow down or the key word being or move over people out here are slamming on the brakes three lanes over to slow down for a cop or emergency vehicle on the shoulder when they need not to Michigan has a state law that states move over and slow down there different from the rest of the states. Teaching drivers to understand what are emergency vehicle on the shoulder it is not an abandoned vehicle with an orange a green or yellow sticker or a pink ribbon tied on the mirror that is a broke down vehicle with nobody around jerking your vehicle in front of faster passing vehicles is hazardous. Getting retirement funds started in the trucking industry for all companies. Getting more freight and more miles per week is important drivers think getting paid $0.50 or more a mile and only making 2000 miles a week is better than getting 3,000 miles a week difference in the paycheck amount 1200-1300 up to 18-1900 a week. The industry has put so much into the electronics on safety of the 18-wheeler, drivers now are starting to believe they don’t have to use their brains to drive these vehicles this is becoming a real unsafe industry because of electronics, drivers want to believe that the truck will do it for them without them doing it, it’s really getting stupid out here. I wish they would put a buzzer or light on the mirrors like they do four-wheelers for these drivers they don’t seem to use their mirrors when they make Lane changes, or even backing up in a parking lot I’ve almost been run over several times walking behind a vehicle that was sitting still when I went behind them I know my bad.. another idiotic thing drivers are doing on these 30 minute breaks they wait till the last second to take the 30-minute break and they do it on a shoulders the cops need to start popping them hard for that companies need to start watching and stopping drivers from doing that it is really unsafe and hazardous I see a lot of Werner trucks doing it a lot of foreign drivers doing it. I’ve also noticed like most drivers parking at night is a real tough thing to do there now parking under bridges and on the side of shoulders some take their emergency triangles put them behind them and do their 10-hour break right alongside the highway very unsafe.. with the malls being empty at night I cannot understand why cities counties States will not allow big trucks to park in the malls we need parking spots.. I realize there are unsanitary drivers out here I get that that’s a very small minorities of us, drivers need to start turning those drivers in to the police department not the truck stops polluting is a very serious violation and maybe we can gain parking spots by doing this.. we need our shippers and receivers who have parking spots available with Big lots to allow us to park there at night it would stop traffic a lot of it in the morning and it would give us a safe place to park they put a porta potty in a lot that solves another problem. The image of the truck driver is so low now I don’t think anything’s going to build it up but we need to have people help us build it back up we have so many foreigners driving trucks and they bring their pitiful pathetic ways from their countries into our countries is disgusting.. like Muslims washing their feet in the sinks of truck stops where people brush their teeth washed their face every morning how disgusting prosthetic can that be.. brokers need to be managed by the federal government they lie about the weight of the load the pay of the load they open their lips they lying.. I’ve also noticed the racist problem out here cops are now afraid to pull over black people which is sad I see black drivers driving in the fast lane where there not supposed to be speeding passing people when they’re not supposed to pass cops see they are black driver they don’t do anything about it. I already have noticed the aggression of drivers out here as well four wheelers with big trucks as well people that are getting nastier and nastier and I see less and less cops unless of course you’re pulling into a chicken coop