6 minutes

Dennis Katsnelson

The issue has risen to the highest position since the Great Recession, displacing fuel prices

AUSTIN, Texas -According to the American Transportation Research Institute's annual study of the top worries for carriers and commercial drivers, the unstable U.S. economy ranked first among issues affecting the trucking sector, the highest rating since the Great Recession in 2008.

Undoubtedly, many people have had a hectic and unpredictable year. Impacts from COVID-19 shook the American economy, sending it into a downward spiral akin to the Great Depression. Other markets and industries did not fare as well as e-commerce and grocery shops experienced rapid growth. Delivering necessary commodities to shops, hospitals, and customers, the trucking business managed to thrive. As the globe continues to grapple with COVID-19 and its numerous consequences, it is still uncertain when and how a "return to normalcy" will happen.

More than 3,100 people responded to the 2020 study, which included industry stakeholders from all around North America. The respondents were made up of 43.9 percent motor carriers, 32.2 percent drivers, and 23.9 percent other sector stakeholders. Fuel prices were no longer at the top of the report unveiled Saturday at the American Truck Associations Management Conference and Exhibition. Instead, it was the economy. Fuel costs, which had been rising for the majority of the year up until a brief break from March to June, dropped to third place. After first appearing on the list in 2012, truck parking availability placed second, its highest position to date.

Zero-emission vehicles made their first appearance on the list at No. 10, where they now stand.

"The past year has been quite the rollercoaster. It has been challenging,” according to Cari Baylor, president of Indiana-based Baylor Trucking, a 75-year-old company that runs 200 trucks, 980 trailers, and two terminals throughout the eastern and southern United States. In October 2022, Werner Enterprises purchased Baylor.

The operating cost of a truck reached $2.25 per mile in 2022 as a result of rising loan rates, increased diesel and maintenance costs, growing pay for truckers, and rising insurance premiums. According to the study in a separate report that is available for download, it is the first time it has ever exceeded $2.

Truck parking is a hardy perennial

The second-ranked problem was truck parking, which has been a Top 5 problem since 2015. Since 1993, ATRI has researched truck parking. The same year, a congressionally mandated investigation into the matter was underway, according to ATRI President Rebecca Brewster.

Truck drivers hunt for parking for 56 minutes on average each day, according to Newjobs4you. One place is available for every 11 truck drivers, according to the study. Since the regulation for electronic logging devices went into full effect in 2018, the parking issue has gotten worse. Truck drivers must complete all of their driving within a 14-hour window as a result.

Baylor allows its long-haul truckers to pay for overnight parking if necessary rather than indulging in the risky practice of parking close to motorway off-ramps or squatting in shop parking lots. Even while technology can help by providing near-real-time notice of available spaces at forthcoming rest breaks, the problem still needs to be resolved.

Driver shortage falls to lowest position since Great Recession

The following problems made up the remaining Top 7 after fuel prices at No. 3:

1. A lack of drivers. From 2017 through 2021, it held the top spot for five years. Every year, the issue reappears. In slower economic times, the driver shortage is less of a problem, particularly for over-the-road jobs. During the 2009 Great Recession, the problem ranked at number six.
2. Compensation for drivers. According to Newjobs4you's operations research, driver pay and benefits will reach 90 cents per mile in 2022, or 40% of all operating expenditures. The issue dropped from No. 4 a year ago to No. 5.
3. Reform of lawsuit abuse. In 2005, it made its Top 10 debut. The issue was clarified by ATRI investigations on nuclear judgments against trucking businesses. According to Baylor, trial lawyers worldwide spend $1 million a month looking for truck crash lawsuits to pursue.

4. Distracted driving. In 2018, the problem peaked at No. 7, but it fell until the most recent study. "We see it every day, eating, reading newspapers, reading books," remarked Dean Key, a driver for Ruan Transportation. Law enforcement, which made up around 5% of the 4,000 stakeholders in the transportation business who took part in the poll, ranked distraction at the top of the list.
5. Maintaining drivers. The problem slid two spots on the manufacturers' list from No. 7 a year earlier.
6. Arrest of the driver. Commercial drivers ranked delays in loading and unloading, as well as access to restrooms and other amenities at shipper facilities, as their No. 5 issue, but carriers still need to rank these issues.
7. Autos with no emissions. The first-timer reflects the increased knowledge of Californian and EPA laws compelling fleets to switch to battery- or fuel-cell-electric cars. ATRI determined that installing electric chargers at every one of the 313,000 truck parking locations would cost $35 billion in research on the costs of transportation electrification published in December.

Little agreement between carriers and drivers on top issues

Only three out of ten topics—the economy, truck parking, and fuel prices were shared by carriers and drivers. They assigned them various rankings. Carriers prioritize the economy. It was ranked No. 7 by drivers. Drivers ranked truck parking at No. 2, while carriers ranked it at No. 8. The closest to a comparable priority was fuel prices, ranked No. 3 for drivers and No. 5 for carriers. Only three of the ten crucial challenges affecting the trucking sector were agreed upon by motor carriers and commercial drivers.