Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/339482
Voices channel 19 6 | Overdrive | July 2014 Visit Senior Editor Todd Dills' ChannEl 19 blog at overdriveonline.com/channel19 Write him at tdills@randallreilly.com. The headline tells only a small part of the story, however. Specialized op- erator Jim Stewart, over in Overdrive's LinkedIn group, commented to that effect following a news item spelling out employment numbers that con- tinue to grow in trucking. Still, the in- dustry – on a pure size basis measured by payroll jobs – is about 4 percent behind its peak in January 2007. That might not be a bad thing, as other metrics have been looking better lately. Tight capacity is driving rates up, as spot market reports over the last several months have shown. Here's how Stewart put it: Yes, I see trucking improving. The companies are finding it harder to attract good people to this lifestyle of heavy-handed oversight by every government and state agency that wants a piece of a trucker's bottom line. It's beginning to affect rates somewhat to an extent that I no longer have to explain twice daily why I need the extra money to move the customer's load from point A to point B. Amazingly, now I'm finding service is fast becoming a priority once again. It's about time! Maybe driver wages will soon begin to catch up to today's standards instead of remaining stuck 10 years behind. 'I see trucking improving' It could be worse. Overdrive's CSA survey shows continuing concern for deteriorating law-enforcement/driver relations, voted No. 2 in the list of top Compli- ance, Safety, Accountability-related issues we published last month. Read- ers have expressed to me a feeling that the new importance roadside violations of all stripes have garnered since CSA's institution has thrown another wrench into the relationship – to the negative. Some law enforcement officials agree, to some degree, and view the situation as unfortunate. That includes 1st Sgt. Tyler Utterback of the Indiana State Police, who referred to "the chaos" out there, often a result of what he sees as a misunderstanding of the system among drivers and officers. As he pointed out to a driver saddled with an out-of-service maintenance-re- lated violation after a full Level I inspection, the violations may be hurting his carrier's Vehicle Maintenance BASIC score. But the otherwise clean inspection helped his carrier's Hours of Service, Driver Fitness and Controlled Sub- stances/Alcohol scores. However, from that driver's perspective, the violation – stemming from a leaky wheel seal that he'd discussed with the carrier about repairing several times – meant he didn't get $100 as incentive for a clean inspection. You can be thankful, at least, that things aren't as bad as they apparent- ly were for one Argentinean hauler in May. An Associated Press story concerned a reefer hauler so fed up with the holdup he was getting at a food-inspection chokepoint that he shut inspectors up in the reefer and kept on driving. He was arrested two miles later. Now that is frustrated, my friends. And a fine tale fit for a Channel 19 conversation. Driver, did you ever hear the one about … Inspection frustration What is the biggest cause of tight capacity in truckload today? "Regulatory drag" is limiting fleet/ owner-operator investment and productivity Driver pay continues to lag behind economic/rate improvement Cost of equipment, due to emissions technology, discourages new businesses Shorter hauls require more drivers/trucks, with little added financial benefit The economy is improving, period Other All of the above 22% 11% 4% 3% 2% 2% 56% Small-fleet owner Dave Nichols noted a weak response to driver openings as a primary factor limiting his business. Overall, he said, "business is showing some signs of increasing but is still a bit hesitant." OverdriveOnline.com poll " I am getting some of the best flatbed rates I have ever seen right now. Finding drivers who want to deal with the regs and OTR is hard, but in the end it will drive rates higher and higher. " — Tom and Sheila Hurd, commenting at OverdriveOnline.com Readers say today's emphasis on roadside inspections has hurt officer/driver relations. Voices_0714.indd 6 6/26/14 10:01 PM