Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/409537
Voices Hot Buttons 12 | Overdrive | November 2014 As reports of con- tinuing atrocities in Iraq and Syria perpetrated by the "Islamic State" surfaced in late summer and early fall, the Obama administration announced a no-ground-troops strategy to combat destabilization in the region. Focused on coalition building, the United States and international partners began air strikes in September against ISIS targets. Polling of Overdrive readers showed a shift from prior sentiment on further military adventures in the Middle East. A poll published as recently as late June showed more than half of respondents fa- voring no further military involve- ment in the growing violence in Iraq. One year earlier, nearly six in 10 readers urged no involvement in the Syrian civil war. Given the growing influence of ISIS, however, opinion has shift- ed back toward support for U.S. involvement. Reflecting a common- ly expressed distaste for military half-measures, Christopher M. Heinecke summed up the sentiment this way on Overdrive's Facebook page: "Either destroy them, or just bring everyone home." ISIS ISIS Bombs over Baghdad: The difference a year makes WHERE DO YOU STAND ON U.S. STRATEGY AGAINST ISIS IN IRAQ AND SYRIA? Opposition to the group, including U.S. ground troops if needed 59% Opposition, but not another ground war 22% Do not support 19% Parking important to fleets A longtime complaint of drivers – truck parking – is becoming more of a concern with fleet executives. The issue stood at No. 6 in a survey by the American Transportation Re- search Institute on the industry's top 10 critical issues, released in October. Truck parking was included for the first time in the ATRI top 10 in 2012, the report notes, as the then-proposed changes to the hours of service rule "brought heightened awareness to the dramatic shortage of safe and available parking." Following this year's ATRI report, Overdrive surveyed readers as to their own top concerns among ATRI's top 10. Truck parking ranked fourth. The ATRI report stressed that respondents' favored strategy for deal- ing with the problem was to "support and encourage investment in new truck parking facilities and work to reopen closed public rest facilities." Earlier this year, truck parking was high on a list of recommended safety action items from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administra- tion's Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee. Owner-operators' top five industry concerns Electronic logging device mandate Hours of service CSA and related issues Truck parking Difficulty fleets are having finding drivers 32% 29% 11% 9% 5% Four of the top five industry concerns of owner-operators and fleet executives are shared, based on separate polls of both groups. I have found that if you want your voice heard, get to know your state-level representatives and national congressmen. Show up at an event where they might be speaking, walk up and shake their hand. Don't go on a tirade – just explain that you and other drivers have this complaint and that you would like them to look into it. If you're asked to go into detail, make sure you have your facts straight, and speak only to the problem you would like them to help with. It may be the only chance you have to get them informed. If you don't get involved, then as my dad and grandpa would tell me, you don't have any reason to complain when things are not going the way you think they should. — Retired owner-operator Mike McRae. Search McRae's name on Overdrive Online.com for his full commentary on strategies for public engagement. GeTTinG lawmakers' aTTenTion