In addition to fireworks, barbecues and pool parties, the Fourth of July also means summer driving is in full swing. This year is especially busy, with AAA reporting that low gas prices will add to the millions already making holiday weekend road trip plans.

While most news stories tend to focus on traffic levels, fuel prices and miles driven, we should also take the holiday as time to reflect on with whom you’ll be sharing the road — namely, professional truck drivers.

Your first thought when passing a tractor-trailer might simply be to avoid this hefty vehicle next to you on the highway. But in reality, there’s much more to it. That big automobile is a vital part of the economy in Garfield County and communities all across the country. And it’s driven by one of 3.4 million professional truck drivers — men and women, mothers and fathers, young and old — who are proud of the hard work they do to move our nation forward.

Where does this pride come from? We can start with the economics and the fact that here in Colorado, nearly 80 percent of communities depend exclusively on trucks to receive their goods. And Colorado trucking companies contribute almost $400 million in federal and state roadway taxes. Additionally, more than 37,000 Colorado jobs come thanks to 12,660 trucking companies located here.

By moving nearly 10 billion tons of freight nationwide each year, trucking is indeed one of the most important barometers for the strength of the American economy. When more trucks are on the road, more freight is being transported, and more goods are being produced and delivered — and that’s good news for everyone.

The pride in our work doesn’t end with economic contributions either. Each day, in every corner of the country, all 7 million professionals in the trucking industry are making strides to do their jobs more safely than ever. Since 1975, the truck-involved fatality rate has decreased by a whopping 74 percent. In the last decade alone, the figure has dropped 17 percent, even with the industry operating an additional 2.7 million trucks and driving an additional 54 billion miles over that time.

More trucks on the road, billions more miles driven, and fewer crashes is no easy feat, but we know that this progress has improved driving conditions for trucking employees and everyday motorists alike. Going forward, we will continue to take positive steps, such as high fuel-efficiency standards, increased training that emphasizes fuel-saving driving techniques, and further improvements to safety and packaging practices.

So when your family is on the road this weekend and you pass a tractor-trailer, you’re looking at more than an imposing 18-wheeler. Instead, you’re seeing a vehicle that delivers the clothes and toys you and your children will take to the beach this weekend, the medical supplies you’ll need all year long, and much more. You’re seeing a machine driving the economy of communities across the country — not only during the summer driving season, but through the winter snowstorms, over the weekends and on holidays.

And you’re seeing an impressive truck driven by one of millions of professionals committed to safely sharing the road, delivering the products you need, and moving America forward.

Kevin Burch is the co-chairman of Trucking Moves America Forward, first vice chairman of American Trucking Associations and president of Ohio-based Jet Express.

Link: Post Independent

During Infrastructure Week 2016, TMAF is sharing the following message from Kevin Burch, TMAF co-chairman and president of Jet Express Inc. 

Moving America Forward is a job the trucking industry is proud of and a commitment we take seriously. We pride ourselves in delivering the goods that American communities need to thrive, from groceries and medicine to retail goods and school supplies. And we know that nothing can stop us – not the winter snow storms, not the long hauls, and not the deliveries that keep drivers on the road and away from family during weekends and holidays.

But while we can’t be stopped from delivering on our commitment, there is one issue that threatens to slow us down – failing infrastructure.

This is why our industry movement, Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF), is proud to be an affiliate of Infrastructure Week for the second year in a row. Infrastructure Week is a national cause shared by a diverse coalition of groups dedicated to rebuilding America’s roads, bridges, rails, ports, airports, pipes, power grid, and more. This year’s theme is “Infrastructure Matters” – and affiliates like TMAF are setting out to tell the story of what infrastructure means to Americans, our country, and our economy.

Transporting critical cargo to towns and cities in every corner of the country requires America’s 3.4 million truck drivers to travel more than 400 billion total miles across our roads and highways every year. Yet, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), those very roads receive a “D” grade, as nearly one-third are in “poor or mediocre” condition, and one in nine of the nation’s bridges are structurally deficient.

To put those low grades in perspective, the ASCE found that by 2020, this deteriorating infrastructure will cost the economy nearly 1 million jobs and hurt GDP growth by $1 trillion. That includes deteriorating pavement and bridge conditions that alone will cost our economy $58 billion per year and the resulting highway congestion that will cost us more than a quarter billion dollars.

The time to address our failing infrastructure is now – and not just to make it a smoother ride for those logging the most miles on the road.

The fact is, if it affects trucking it affects Americans as a whole. “The costs of inadequate infrastructure investment are exhibited all around us,” said a report by the National Economic Council and the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. The report added that because of this investment gap, “American businesses pay $27 billion a year in extra freight transportation costs, increasing shipping delays and raising prices on everyday products.”

Fortunately, telling our story is easy for trucking, because when our trucks are moving forward, the nation and the U.S. economy move with it. In fact, the 7 million trucking professionals nationwide contribute $682 billion in revenue every year to our nation’s economy.

As long as we need to, TMAF will stand strong, advocating for infrastructure spending that improves the highway networks most critical to the movement of freight and interstate travel, and prioritizes the safety of the motoring public in the process. We’ll continue to call on our political leaders at the state and federal levels to work with us to close the nation’s infrastructure investment gap.

Our hardworking drivers deserve to deliver America’s goods on structurally sound and safe roads. The trucking industry, the American economy, and you and I are counting on it.

Kevin Burch of Trucking Moves America Forward speaks to Megan Lampinen about the movement’s successful second year and its aims for 2016

Representatives from the trucking and transport sector were out in force at the Mid-America Trucking

Show (MATS) recently (31 March – 2 April), gathering once again for the annual event in Louisville, Kentucky. While the manufacturers themselves were notably absent, many truck brands were represented by their dealers. The show also saw plenty of involvement from the supply side and industry associations.

Putting a face to the industry

Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF) – a cooperative effort by American Trucking Associations (ATA), the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the Truckload Carriers Association and manufacturers of trucking equipment, was celebrating its second successful year as well as kicking off another ambitious education campaign. TMAF officially launched at the 2014 MATS, with the aim of educating the public, the legislators, the policymakers, and the media about the industry. Since then it has steadily met fundraising goals and is now extending its trailer decal wrap programme. The decal wraps, which cost between US$1,600 and US$2,100, act as moving billboards and send the message that the trucking industry is more than just big vehicles.

“We really want to put a face to the industry,” Kevin Burch, TMAF Co-Chairman, President of Ohio-based Jet Express and a former HDT Truck Fleet Innovator, told Automotive World. There are already 100 of these wraps on the roads, and TMAF’s next goal is 200.

“The image is so important that we need to educate the government officials at the local level, the state level and the federal level,” he added. “More importantly, we want the motoring public and people to know that we’ve got jobs.”

Industry challenges

Attracting young players has been a challenge for the trucking industry, particularly for jobs in driving. “There’s still a driver shortage. In the next ten years, we don’t need a few hundred thousand drivers – we need a million truck drivers,” said Burch. “And mostly because of the fact that we’re an ageing workforce.” The average age in trucking is 57 or 58, compared to mid-50s of most occupations, he explained. “We’ve done a poor job as far as getting younger people involved in our industry.”

Road transport is also facing competition from rail, which is taking over more of the long-distance runs that are not popular with drivers, keeping them away from home for extended periods of time. “Intermodal transport has seen a pretty good increase percentage wise,” observed Burch. “The younger driver isn’t the driver from World War II or the old seasoned driver who doesn’t mind being away for a few days. We’ve got to realise that we need to give these drivers more home time.” However, the rise of intermodal transport does not completely wipe out the role of the truck driver. “You still need local drivers to take the trailer to the railhead and put it on a flat car to take it to the destination. Then you still need a driver to pick it up,” noted Burch. “There’s a little bit of a working together partnership with the railroads. We definitely need each other.”

A relay approach is another way to tackle particularly long routes, with a 1,000-journey split among two drivers into a 500-mile route each. “We’re working some of that out so it competes with the railroad,” he commented. In some cases this may entail an empty truck going back, but “in a perfect world, they’d have freight that goes back to the other point.”

Spreading the message

For today, the TMAF movement will remain centred on education but MATS may not be the preferred venue for long. A new truck and transport industry event is on the way, to be launched in autumn

2017 as a biennial event alternating with the IAA in Hanover, Germany. Plans for the new event were outlined at MATS, though details are still scarce. However, it could very well become the next stage for TMAF’s movement. “I’m excited for it because I think it’s probably going to be more opportunities to learn about our industry, and maybe more bang for the buck for the OEMs,” said Burch.

Link: Automotive World

With over 500,000 trucking companies and nearly 3 million trucks on our nation’s roads, trucks move nearly 70 percent of America’s freight. In Nevada we are more reliant on trucking than any other transportation mode, moving 94 pecent of our state’s manufactured tonnage. There is a symbiotic relationship between trucking and every sector of the economy. Retail, manufacturing, mining, energy, agriculture and gaming all rely on trucks, and trucks are reliant on all of these sectors to drive our activity. Trucking is a key element in interstate commerce.

This wasn’t always the case. Although the modern trucking industry has existed for over a century it is still younger than the railroad, which still holds tremendous influence over transportation policy today. At the turn of the 20th century, trucks were used in limited local applications. If you needed freight moved coast to coast, rail was your only realistic option.

In 1919 a young Lt. Col. Dwight Eisenhower was part of a military convoy from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco, Calif. It took a total of 62 days to make the trip. Nevada was particularly tough. Ike described the roads across Nevada from Utah to Carson City as a “succession of dust, ruts, pits and holes.” It was this trip that solidified his support for an interstate highway system, funded by fuel taxes, which would be designed not just to move munitions, tanks and troops, but interstate commerce. This system has driven our economy since its creation.

While the building and maintaining of our roads and highways to ensure seamless transport across our states has had a positive impact on trucking, the lack of stable funding for the interstate system is threatening Eisenhower’s vision. We have not had a fuel tax increase in America since 1992. In fact much of today’s current highway program is funded on budgetary schemes such as pension smoothing which allow companies to forgo tax deductible payments into their employee’s 401k programs, and then use the increased tax revenue for roads.

This has led to some states and members of congress to call for devolution, meaning states would keep the fuel tax revenue instead of sending it to the federal government for distribution. Losing sight of how roads connect communities, not just in a particular state but across the country wouldn’t just have a negative impact on the trucking industry, but on all of those economic sectors that rely on the efficient movement of freight.

Since 1980 when the trucking industry was economically deregulated it was a goal for trucking to be shaped by market forces under a nationally uniform set of regulations. This was a 180-degree change from where the industry was in 1935 when the federal government regulated truck rates, routes, and the type of freight that could be hauled.

Economically deregulating the trucking industry had a huge positive impact on the economy. Freight got a lot cheaper and enabled just-in-time delivery, which eliminated the need for retailers, manufacturers and others to have inventory and raw materials on site. There is no more storeroom at the J.C. Penny’s where they keep inventory not being sold on the floor — that storeroom is now on the back of a truck.

Even with innovations such as just-in-time delivery, no truck moves without a driver. Professional truck drivers need a great amount of skill and focus to safely pilot an 80,000-pound truck. For much of the 20th century, truckers were viewed as knights of the road, who would always stop to assist a stranded motorist. The CB culture of the 1970s, which brought us the “asphalt cowboy” has now migrated to truckers as true safety professionals. Although the view of truckers has made a positive turn, it is still a huge challenge to get qualified drivers behind the wheel.

Nationwide, we are 48,000 drivers short. We are an overwhelmingly male industry, 94 percent, with an average age of 49 years old. Lack of truck parking, being detained at shipper facilities and government regulation make the freedom of the open road less alluring.

As a nation and an industry we need to focus on the implementation of technology, and forward thinking policy changes that look at the transportation system in its entirety, so we can ensure that Trucking Moves America Forward.

Paul Enos is chief executive officer of the Nevada Trucking Association.

Link: Norther Nevada Business Journal 

Holland has purchased 20 trailer wraps helping to share the importance of the Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF) image campaign. Every day millions of trucks travel across the United States helping to move America forward. A great number of those are Holland trucks. We agree with the TMAF in seeking “to ensure that policymakers and the public understand the importance of the trucking industry to the nation’s economy.”

“We are proud to be a part of the Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF) program. Holland is wrapping 20 of our newest trailers with the ‘It takes 7 million people to move America’ message. We hope this message reaches hundreds of thousands of Americans, enhancing understanding and appreciation of the many hardworking professional drivers in the trucking industry–like those who drive for Holland,” said Holland president Scott Ware.

“Holland’s commitment to sharing the ‘Trucking Moves America Forward’ campaign not only demonstrates their enthusiasm for trucking, but I also believe it is the kind of spark that will continue to educate the American public that trucking is safe, essential and making an impact on our carbon footprint,” said Kevin Burch, First Vice Chairman of the American Trucking Associations. “The passion Holland is showing with their commitment to the campaign is further evidence that Holland is part of the strong trucking community and wants to bring positive recognition to the more than 7 million people who work in it.”

Ware added, “Holland employees and drivers work to bring industry-leading, quality next-day service to our customers. Holland drivers make safety a number one priority. It is only fitting that Holland professional drivers share the importance of trucking in our economy with these 20 new ‘It takes 7 million people to move America’ rolling billboards. Our drivers will take great pride in showcasing their expertise while delivering Holland customers’ goods across our great service region with these trailers.”

The Trucking Moves America Forward campaign launched in March 2014 at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky to inform policymakers and the public about the many contributions trucking makes to our daily lives. Trucks are critical to our national and global economy, to our families, to our businesses and so much more.

About Holland
Holland has long been recognized for delivering the most next-day service lanes in its territory and annually records one of the lowest claim ratios in the industry. Founded in Holland, Mich., in 1929, Holland provides industry-leading, on-time reliability for less-than-truckload shipments in the central and southeastern United States and in eastern Canada. Holland, recognized by Logistics Management magazine with its 2015 Quest for Quality award for 30 consecutive years, was honored for performance excellence in South/South Central LTL Regional Motor Carriers, Midwest/North Central LTL Regional Motor Carriers and Expedited Motor Carriers. For more information, visit hollandregional.com. Holland is a subsidiary of YRC Worldwide (NASDAQ:YRCW).