Pub. 1 2020 Issue 2

14 Kentucky Trucker Kentucky Trucking Association F or the past 15 years, the American Transporta- tion Research Institute (ATRI) has been quantify- ing the trucking industry’s top concerns through an annual survey of industry stakeholders. The 2019 survey generated responses from over 2,000 respon- dents — motor carriers, professional drivers, industry suppliers and others — all selecting their respective top three concerns and ranking recommended strategies for addressing each. For the third year in a row, the Driver Shortage held firmly atop the list of industry concerns among all respondents. As the industry struggles to recruit and retain qualified drivers, the latest estimates on the shortage from the American Trucking Associations are that over 60,000 drivers are needed, with a poten- tial shortfall of over 100,000 drivers over the next five years. The driver shortage is particularly acute in the over-the-road (OTR) truckload sector where drivers are often away from home for weeks at a time. The Hours-of-Service (HOS) rules ranked a close sec- ond to the driver shortage. This is the ninth consecu- tive year that the HOS rules have ranked as a top-three concern in ATRI’s survey. In August 2018, FMCSA issued an ANPRM on the HOS rules, specifically ask- ing for comments on several HOS provisions, includ- ing the 30-minute rest break and the split-sleeper berth provision. In August of last year, FMCSA issued an NPRM proposing changes to the HOS rules based on public comment and available research, and the indus- try now awaits issuance of the final rule from FMCSA. For the first time in the history of this survey, driver compensation has emerged as a top 10 issue, ranking Understanding the Trucking Industry’s Top Concerns By Rebecca M. Brewster, President and COO, American Transportation Research Institute