Both of those rules are already in the works, but could come quicker than they would have if this bill does pass Congress and become law.
That news came hard on the heels of another DOT agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, publishing a rule mandating stability control systems on all new trucks manufactured August 2017 and later.
Then, just this morning, CCJ’s Tech Editor Aaron Huff posted an excellent story exploring ways fleets can use new technology to combat the severe driver shortage crippling the industry.
Lastly, another news piece this week was published here on CCJ about a shippers lobbying group, the Coalition for Transportation Productivity, calling on Congress to increase truck size and weight limits.
So, we here we have four very big news stories that are – at the moment – only tangentially related to each other. But I would argue that these four stories form the basis for a much larger conversation this industry needs to be having with both Congress and the American public about the state of trucking today and its ability to keep moving freight efficiently.
I’ve written at length about trucking as low-hanging fruit for regulators and its never-ending role as a political and regulatory punching bag in our national dialogue. But what tends to get lost in the conversation is the fact that our economy is shifting more and more to a complex, highly-interwoven global model that relies heavily on ever-increasing Internet sales and ever-faster logistics to keep moving forward. Efficient trucking operations are absolutely vital for keeping this economic engine alive and healthy.
