It goes without saying that 2020 was a challenging year. We’re taking a look back and shining a spotlight on some key trucking issues that we think will continue to impact drivers and fleet owners into the New Year:

Image courtesy of: John Sommers II for Transport Topics

COVID-19 has quickly changed the way we work and the way we consume, thus transforming the nation’s economy as a whole. Few people are flying, purchasing and renting cars, taking cabs or ride shares, or commuting to work. 

Adam Jonas, the transportation industry analyst at Morgan Stanley Research, has shared a number of key ways he thinks the transportation industry is morphing during this pandemic.

The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), released its State of Logistics Report on June 18th. This annual report tracks and measures all costs associated with moving freight through U.S. supply chains and, most notably, showed a significant increase in U.S. business spending on logistics in 2018.

Do truck drivers and carriers see eye to eye on critical issues facing the industry? The results from the ATRI’s 2018 “Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry” survey provides a breakdown between driver and fleet opinions.

Of the 1,539 respondents to the 2018 survey, motor carriers represented 47.5% while commercial drivers (both company and independent) made up 41.3% of the responses. The balance of the numbers came from other industry stakeholders, which means the ATRI got a healthy response from both fleets and drivers.

*Image courtesy of Time.com

In a previous blog, we mentioned that traffic congestion cost the trucking industry a whopping $74.5 billion in additional operating costs and 1.2 billion hours in driver delays in 2016. This is an unfortunate trend that we don't foresee going away anytime soon.Not surprisingly, 91 percent of all slowdowns take place in metropolitan areas. So, what can you do to minimize the impact of traffic congestion on your bottom line?

*Image courtesy of Wired.com

After shaking off the fog and confetti of the holidays, it’s time to get back down to business. We’ve reflected back on 2018 and have identified several big trends that we think are likely to impact how our industry operates, prepares, and plans the years ahead.

The honor of being called one of the big three trends disrupting the trucking industry goes to ELDs, ecommerce, and Big Data. Some view these three as blessings in disguise, whiles others see them as sources of stress and overwhelming cost. Change is hard, especially when it rocks the foundations by which your trucking and freight business is built upon.