Recent campaigns by well-known companies highlight the role of women in the trucking industry. Although the number of female drivers is gradually increasing, the current number industry-wide is only a little over five percent. This low percentage is due to the many challenges that female truckers face, on top of the issues that those in the industry already have to contend with.
For women, the training process can be especially tough. Because most truck drivers are men, female trainees are often paired with men, which can be uncomfortable and intimidating for someone new to the industry. The skewed ratio of men to women trainees often leads to harassment, and many women have noted the lack of respect they feel from their male counterparts. While the number of men who see women as their equals in trucking is increasing, this attitude continues to dissuade women from pursuing a career in the industry. Ellen Voie, the President and CEO of the Women in Trucking Association, believes that the path to increasing the number of women in the industry is not changing anything drastically, but offering women the same benefits that their male counterparts seek: flexible schedules, money, better home time, and safer equipment. Women need to know that they have the skills for the job, and that they are wanted.
That is exactly what Mack and CFI are aiming to do with these new campaigns: show women in the industry that they are valued, and that their work is appreciated. Compared to the overall percentage of women in the industry, women make up 14% of CFI’s workforce. Pictured on their new “She Drives” truck (pictured above) are four of the company’s longest-tenured women- the longest with over 35 years in trucking. 
Mack Trucks recently released its fourth episode of the RoadLife series, which focuses on two successful women in the industry.
You can watch the RoadLife series on roadlife.tv or on Amazon Prime.
Written by: Shayla Powers
A report released in April showed that the overall economic activity in the United States dropped slightly in the first quarter of 2018, as the consumer spending post-holiday season eased. This estimate is the first of three, with the second set to be released around the end of May. Despite the economic growth dropping, analyst expected it to be much worse. It is common for the economy to drop some after the holiday season at the end of the previous year, and 2018 was no exception. The gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 2.3 percent, which is down from the 2.9 percent annual rate in the first quarter of 2017, but still not as bad as it has been in the past.
This is one of the lowest percentages in economic improvement since 2013, which has a lot to do with a decrease in consumer spending. The measure of total output of goods and services was pulled down by a mere 1.1 percent raise in commercial spending, which is the largest sector of the American economy. Comparatively, consumer spending was at a 4 percent increase at the end of the final quarter of 2017.
Most of the heroic actions that make the news shouldn’t even be necessary, but they are. Thanks to the quick action of everyone involved, someone lived to see another day. In times like these, it is important to remember that help is always available, and you’re never out there alone.
These violations could potentially endanger the livelihoods and licenses of truckers all over the country. While the FMCSA has acknowledged that there are problems with the devices, action has not yet been taken to solve the issue. Most of the people that have complained have been told to switch ELD companies.
A few weeks ago at the 2018 Mid-America Trucking Show, Ray Martinez, the new administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, held his first official “grass roots outreach” event. Martinez had hopes that the event would not be an angry one– but it was; the 90 minute “listening event” was characterized by tension and confrontation. Drivers from across the country accused Martinez, and by extension, the FMCSA, of ignoring the fate of independent owners and small fleet truck drivers under the new ELD rules. The group mainly consisted of individual owner-operators and drivers for small companies, and their concerns ranged from the highly debated ELD mandate, to lack of parking at truck stops. Most of them agreed that the FMCSA has overstepped their authority in regard to work hours and when they should take rest and meal breaks.
The crowd was also displeased with the way that Martinez was answering their questions, saying that he was disconnected from the people he was supposed to be serving, and was answering “like a politician.” Martinez listen to their criticism quietly, and without interruption. He told him that he was used to not being the most-liked person in the room, and told the crowd that he would address the complaints that “made the most sense” and would not negatively impact highway safety, but he made no promises. He pointed out that he does not have the ability to change the laws around the ELD mandate, but that there is some room for negotiation in regard to the rules surrounding mandatory hours. He said that the only way to fix problems and concerns within the industry is to listen and learn. He also stated that he and the FMCSA realize that long wait times at docks are inefficient, and that ELD are supposed to help highlight those inequities. At the end of the session, Martinez admitted that the contention was nothing new, and that these were the types of things that the FMCSA wanted to hear.
Now that the ELD compliance date is here, along with the general movement toward online data tracking, we can see an increasing need for data standardization in the trucking industry. As a result, there has been a call for a blockchain approach to standardizing the industry’s data. Essentially, blockchains are a way for companies to upload and share their data with ease. The trucking industry is massive, even with the driver shortage, and companies need a way to record transactions and track assets in a cohesive way.
An asset can be something tangible like a truck, or intangible like an insurance requirement. So what a blockchain would do is allow more efficient communication from business to business, as well as from employer to employee. It’s no secret that the trucking industry is wildly inefficient, which leads to safety issues and loss of revenue. It can take hours to set up a single delivery, which frankly, is a waste of time. With blockchain technology, delivery transactions can take mere minutes, meaning that drivers can get on the road quicker. If implemented, shippers, carriers and brokers will be operating on a secure, instantaneous network.
Unlike the ELD mandate, blockchains will not be required or enforced, which unfortunately means that users will have to trust the information that is uploaded. Manufacturers must trust that carriers have the required insurance, and carriers must trust companies to uphold their contracts and pay them. Data standardization is in no way easy, and blockchain is still in its early stages, but the advantages to the program could be instrumental to the success of the industry in the future. Sometime very soon, the entire world will move toward standardization and online data tracking.
The upsurge in labor related to e-commerce seems to be a trend that is here to stay, due to consumer interest in the convenience of online shopping.
There was a brief loss of about 3,000 workers from November to December, but picked back up shortly. Overall, the e-commerce sector gained almost 40 thousand jobs in the last year, and hit a new high of 1,016,500 jobs. These revisions also show how much momentum this field is gaining, and how much revenue these companies are creating. Amazon reported $1.9 billion in annual profit, a result of increasing efficiency rates and record online holiday sales.
Although trucking companies added a little over 2,000 jobs from December 2017 to January 2018, they are having a hard time with recruitment. Less and less people are willing to spend long hours on the road away from home, and more stringent hiring requirements are not helping with numbers. Regardless of low numbers, the trucking industry is sure to see an upswing this year with the rapidly developing e-commerce sector and its demand for transportation.
A measure that would mandate guard rails on truck trailers is making its way through the House and Senate. These underride guard rails would prevent cars from sliding underneath semi trucks, and would significantly reduce the amount of deaths from collisions with truck trailers. The act was introduced by Senator Gillibrand (D) of New York and Senator Rubio (R) of Florida, and the bipartisan measure is likely to pass without much push-back from Congress.