The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), a leading non-profit research organization for the U.S. trucking industry, does an annual survey of drivers and carriers to find our their biggeset challenges. We dig into the results of the 2019 report with Dan Murray (Senior Vice President at ATRI) in this episode of the Freightvine podcast.
Dan Murray has been with ATRI for over 25 years and was recently promoted to Senior Vice President. In this role, he leads ATRI’s portfolio of sponsored research projects and provides strategic direction and management into ATRI’s top research priorities. As an non-profit organization, ATRI conducts freight research to ensure the U.S. trucking industry is safe, efficient and productive. Research is conducted across several areas based on an annual research agenda determined by its research advisory committee. All of their research is available at no cost at www.truckingresearch.org.
The main focus of the conversation between Dan Murray and host Chris Caplice was the latest release of their annual survey, 2019 Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry. Chris and Dan briefly cover the top ten issues which include: Driver Shortage, Hours of Service, Driver Compensation, Detention at Customer Facilities, Truck Parking, Driver Retention, ELD Mandate, Compliance Safety, and Accountability Rules, Infrastructure and Economy.
For this annual report, ATRI surveys thousands of truck drivers and motor carrier executives. Dan explains that two of the most interesting findings are watching certain issues rise and fall in the ranks over the last decade as well as how the report can be used as a blueprint for drivers and carriers to navigate these issues when you compare them from the driver’s point of view versus the point of view of motor carrier executives.
In 2019, the top-voted issues according to carriers were the driver shortage and driver retention; whereas the biggest issue for drivers was truck parking. So, the question for carriers becomes, “What are you doing on the driver list to mitigate these issues and concerns”? The underlying message is that it is important to understand the other side of the fence and learn from those experiences. Ultimately, all of the issues on the top ten list are interrelated and can be addressed by taking a holistic approach to the areas of concern.
Listen to the full episode to hear Chris and Dan discuss more detail on the top critical issues in the trucking industry.
This episode recap was written by Courtney Schrader, Sr. Product Manager, FMIC.
Market Update & Forecast: 30 January 2020
Dry Van
Active contract rates were flat, while spot rates went up by 1%
Temp-Control
Active contract rates dropped 0.5% and spot rates stayed flat
Intermodal
Active contract rates were flat; spot rates increased 1%
Replacement rates for Dry Van and Temp-Control remain positive — which means new contract rates coming in are higher than the rates being replaced. Specifically, in the last two weeks, replacement rates went up 2% for Dry Van and 0.5% for Temp-Control. This positive trend has been the case for the last four weeks. However, there is nothing to show in the market that this trend is here to stay; we assume it is a seasonal or temporary spike. The replacement rate of new contract rates for Intermodal remains negative over the last two weeks.
