The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) today released its annual list of the top ten critical issues within the trucking industry.
For the third year in a row, HOS ranked at the top of the list. Survey respondents pointed to issues with supply chains as a result of current HOS laws.
Coming in as the number two concern is the FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program. The “truck driver shortage” and driver retention followed closely behind.
Also on the list of driver concerns was the lack of safe, available parking. Parking shortages ranked at 5 on the list. “Since first appearing as an issue in the annual survey, truck parking has been on the rise as an industry concern. It initially ranked 8th in the 2012 survey and has steadily climbed to the top five issues,” ATRI states.
In total, 4,000 respondents completed the survey. Here’s a look at their top ten concerns within the trucking industry:
1. Hours of Service
2. Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
3. Driver Shortage
4. Driver Retention
5. Truck Parking
6. ELD Mandates
7. Driver Health
8. Economy
9. Infrastructure
10. Driver Distraction
“There is perhaps no better benchmark for the challenges we face as motor carriers and drivers than ATRI’s annual survey of top industry issues. As issues climb in ranking each year, so does our collective need to aggressively identify solutions to address those issues,” said ATA Chairman Duane Long, chairman, Longistics, Raleigh, NC.
“As we all know, the trucking industry operates in a complex and evolving environment and we must constantly work to understand how regulatory actions and operational challenges impact the industry,” ATA President and CEO Bill Graves said. “By improving our understanding of the issues, we can be better stewards of the important job our industry is tasked with.”