Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/255292
Voices 12 | Overdrive | February 2014 As January got rolling, a majority of own- er-operators said their businesses would fare better this year. "Out- look is profitable," wrote reader Richard Young on Overdrive's Facebook page. Owner-operator Tilden Curl concurred. He says he was handed lemons in the form of the California Air Resources Board's Statewide Truck and Bus Rule, which this year bans (with few exceptions) unmodified 1996-2006 model-year diesel engines on California roadways. But Curl says he'll use his proactive investment in a compliant truck to make lemon- ade in 2014. "My CARB-certified truck will be paid off this year, and half of my miles are in California. I made the investment to update my equipment and charge what it costs to do busi- ness. Those that choose not to come to California only make it easier for me and the large companies to make better money. … It will probably be my best year ever." All well and good for Curl, said owner-operator Jason Smith, also commenting on Facebook, but: "2014 will be my last year in business. Thank you, CARB!" Something pretty amazing happened right before the holiday break: China soft-landed its Jade Rab- bit rover on the moon. The Chinese say they plan to land men on the moon in 10 years or so, and the Jade Rabbit landing was a huge step toward that goal. If Americans noticed it at all, they collectively shrugged their shoulders. Then they went back to punching somebody out before Christmas to score that Xbox their kid had been driving them up the wall over. Yet if history is any indication, the Chinese space program could have massive consequences for the United States. Chinese products sold here tend to be cheaper goods at big-box stores. We're not awash in high- tech products from China because the Japanese still own that corner of the economy. But consider the everyday items you use that were developed directly or indirectly with the Apol- lo program: LED lights, Velcro, personal computers, MRI and CAT scans, cell- phone cameras and solar panels, to name a few. Furthermore, consider that these things stem from the 1960s, the heyday of America's space program. There's no telling what kinds of innovations are likely to emerge from a fresh, ambitious Chinese space program in the 21st century. The Chinese trucking industry is about 50 years behind the West, so it's unlikely they could catch up enough to mass-produce Class 8 trucks. A more likely scenario is that the Chinese will make a run at the medium-duty cabover market currently domi- nated by the Japanese. Or we could see an explosion of Chinese aftermarket technologies. Think tires, onboard electronics and safety systems, for starters. The Jade Rabbit ought to serve as a wake-up call: The Chinese really are coming. It's time to stop squabbling and put our economic affairs in order before it's too late. I wonder if anybody is listening. Hot Buttons China, the moon and you What's your business forecast for 2014? OverdriveOnline.com poll Better than 2013 54% About the same as 2013 18% Not sure / other 15% Worse than 2013 13% ECONOMY ECONOMY Does its recent moon landing indicate that China has the potential for major technology advances, including trucking equipment? Owner-operators optimistic about 2014 By Jack Roberts, Equipment Editor Only one in seven owner-operators say their business will do worse this year than in 2013. Max Heine Voices_0214.indd 12 1/28/14 10:42 PM