‘Load the truck, board it, and head-off towards your destination’ — is the trucking industry concept that most of us are familiar with, considering it a mere job.
Well, the reality of this industry is a lot more complicated than we think. It encompasses planning, logistics, and safety measures that require long-haul truck driving. Moreover, the most dangerous job with 24.7 deaths per 100,000 workers is truck driving, as per the research study. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, the workers, employers and other staffs need to ensure their safety and health at the warehouse, dock, construction site, and anywhere across the country where they deliver and pick-up shipments.”
Over the years, the trucking industry has always been highly competitive and cost-driven. Since 1980, this industry has seen substantial positive changes and played safe while embracing the latest upgraded technologies and innovations. However, it has a far-reaching effect in today’s time, as innovation and technology drivers can entirely transport the industry into the future.
According to Business Insider, in foreign countries like the United States, the trucking industry has grown to USD 800 billion. However, in the past few years, this industry has undergone numerous ongoing challenges.
Trucking Industry Regulation to Ensure Safety
In the current scenario, apart from other business sectors, the trucking industry, too, has experienced a drastic change due to COVID-19. With the implementation of the coronavirus pandemic, many companies have experienced significant loss due to slow business. In contrast, the trucking industry has seen a spectacular rise in demand. As a result, few commercial truckers’ regulations were implemented, especially for those who directly contributed to this relief. However, with New Year around the corner, there are probabilities of new rules influencing truck drivers. Let’s have a glance at few regulations with which we are well-versed.
- International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA)
IFTA simplifies fuel tax reporting for interstate carriers, especially for commercial motor vehicles that are IFTA qualified if used, designed, or maintained for interstate transportation. According to flhsmv.gov, an IFTA is a license issued by the jurisdiction where the motor carrier reports and pays all motor fuel taxes to the base jurisdiction, which handles distribution to all the other member jurisdictions in which the licensee traveled and incurred motor fuel use tax liability.
Three operating principles of IFTA
- Calculate your fuel tax based on its consumption
- A tax credit is determined by the complete details of fuel purchased.
- IFTA finds the difference between power consumed and purchased for each jurisdiction.
Each member jurisdiction sets its tax rate, and with VegitOne, you can access all the jurisdictions’ IFTA rates till-date. According to government standards, deadlines for filing IFTA each quarter are April 30th for Quarter 1, July 31st for Quarter 2, October 31st for Quarter 3, and January 31st for Quarter 4. Further, delay in filing a late tax return, or underpaying taxes due, may result in penalties or interest rates.
- Electronic Logging Device (ELD)
Congressionally mandated as a part of MAP-21, Electronic Logging Devices or ELD intends to create a safer work environment for drivers and make it easier, faster to accurately track, manage, and share Records of Duty Status (RODS) data, as per FMCSA. It synchronizes with a vehicle engine to automatically record driving time for more comfortable and accurate hours of service (HOS) recording.
As per the FMCSA, commercial truck drivers who need to prepare hours-of-service (HOS) records of duty status (RODS) must follow the ELD rule. According to the research study, around 81% of the larger fleets have successfully equipped and installed electronic logging devices. In contrast, smaller fleets and owner-operators are yet to implement ELD regulations fully.
- Hour-of-Service (HOS)
Part 395 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, the Hours-of-Service or HOS regulations developed and enforced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, part of the United States Department of Transportation. It put limits in place for truck drivers as to when and how long you may drive. The concept of implementing this regulation is to make sure that the driver stays awake and alert while driving. Hours of Service regulation is applicable for people operating a commercial truck, truck-tractor with a trailer, involved in interstate commerce, weighs 10,001 pounds or more including the load or carrying hazmats requiring placards.
- Truckload Limits
We do understand the weight limit for freight is critical. Be it delivering goods or shifting luggage from one place to another, most states and cities have a fixed weight limit for trucks carrying loads over roads and bridges. To keep track of this, most of the interstates and state highways have toll-plazas.
There are different types and modes of freight, out of which LTL and FTL connect to the trucking industry. Less Than Truckload or LTL occupy lesser space in comparison to FTL. LTL freight shipments typically weigh between 200 and 10,000 lbs. On the other hand, Full Truckload or FTL solely occupies a trailer and are large volume or weight shipments from point to point. Its weight limit depends on the weight of the vehicle and local laws; however, internationally, they are around 34,000–45,000 lbs. Thus, getting caught with excessive weight can result in paying a hefty fine or getting penalized for an overweight truckload.
There have been significant changes in various sectors with new and innovative technologies in the past few years. Every year, new and upgraded technologies come into existence. Different software solutions and creative vehicle concepts aim at making the trucking industry more efficient, safer, and profitable. By embracing the latest technology, the trucking industry has benefited the carriers, truckers, and fleet owners and keeps pace with their competitors. Moreover, the utilization of these new technologies is especially important for truck driver safety. Let us now have a look at the modern trends and technologies that has impact the trucking industry.
Safety and Innovative Technology Are Transforming the Trucking Industry
In the world of technology, various innovative tools play a prime role in developing the trucking industry.
- GPS Tracking System
Investing in GPS technology will improve the trucking industry and prove beneficial, as it allows the company to manage its fleet of trucks accurately, cost-effective, and enhance scheduling. It has an end number of benefits like fleet management that help the company gather the real-time data location of each vehicle and virtually plan-out route or cancel the delivery. Above all, you can also increase efficiency and flexibility on small budgets by developing an app with GPS tracking. Another significant benefit of using GPS technology is the increased ROI of your business. It helps cut down expenses and boost your productivity by diminishing the cost of investments while increasing profit.
- Telematics System
From transferring data remotely to increasing perceptibility into operations, telematics technology is essential for a successful fleet operation. With this technology’s help, diverse industries have profited and improved their communication skills, efficiency, and customer services. Integration and data analytics turn telematics into a valuable, customizable tool that can enhance every part of a fleet’s operations. It comes with various features like improving customer service, cost reduction of labour, fuel, and other operational expenses, increases productivity, reduces the use of unauthorized vehicles, and increase fleet security and safety. Moreover, with more autonomous features and new components introduced in the trucking business, improvements were seen in telematics software and upgrades in digital security.
- Electronic Logging Devices (ELD)
Electronic Logging Device or ELD allows drivers and trucking companies to manage Hours of Service (HOS) requirements. Over the past decades, the transportation industry used handwritten logbooks to ensure compliance with HOS regulations, reducing the prevalence of tired drivers behind the wheel. However, maintaining a handwritten record gave truck drivers a chance to update false logging to avoid the HOS limitations. The commencement of the ELD device, fleet owners can now track the vehicle-driven exact time, as this technology connects to the truck engine. It records all ELD data, including logs, IFTA, IRP, inspection, where the data gets audited automatically. In December 2017, CDL drivers were expected to have ELD devices installed in their commercial vehicles.
- Autonomous Truck Platooning Technology
Have you ever imagined or dreamt of trucks without human drivers, sounds interesting. In the coming years, the next big thing in the trucking industry will surely be self-driving trucks. But what exactly is this self-driving truck? For some, it may sound to be new. Truck platooning or autonomous driving is the linking of two or more trucks in a convoy, using connectivity technology and automated driving support systems. It holds great potential to make road transport safer, cleaner, and more efficient in the future. That is why European truck manufacturers are eager to bring these platoons to roads. However, their first real-life tests are already underway.
Platooning technology involves several trucks, which automatically maintain a set, close distance between each other when they are connected for certain parts of a journey, for instance, on motorways. At first instance, drivers will remain in control at all times, so they can also decide to leave the platoon and drive independently. In short, it acts like an auto-pilot mode. The best part of this technology is it lowers fuel consumption and reduces CO2 emissions by up to 16% and 8% from the trailing and lead vehicles, respectively.
Advantages of Upgrading To Safety Technology
Companies that own the transportation business such as food distributors, retailers, and oil & gas transporters, realize significant savings by replacing the trucks that are more traditional, less-efficient, and cost more to operate and produce harmful emissions. As the price of the technology drops down, most of the trucking and rental companies are expanding their contributions with more sophisticated advanced safety features.
According to the most recent Truck Lifecycle Data Index from Fleet Advantage, transportation fleet operators can realize first-year, per-truck, hard-cost savings of USD 16,928 when upgrading from a 2015 sleeper model truck to a 2020 model. For a 100-truck fleet, the savings are nearly USD 1.7 million.
Over the last several years, the advancements in heavy-duty truck safety systems have been nothing short of impressive. From truck components that have been around for decades, such as brakes and tires, to the latest technological advancements like stability control and lane-departure systems, safety technology today has made our truck drivers and roads safer.
As a result, for safety purposes, truck drivers and technicians look forward to driving and working on newer trucks that come with advanced technology. The main reason behind truck drivers opting to go for more modern trucks with the latest technology is to avoid less fatigue and more comfort. It also allows trucking companies to entice new drivers with advanced vehicles, rather than using expensive sign-on bonuses when hiring.
Further, upgrading your older version trucks to the newer ones helps in improving customer satisfaction rates through fewer delays and an enhanced corporate image. Besides, drivers will carry a better attitude at the time of delivery and chances of less freight and property damage due to equipment and safety technologies on board.
The outcome of Strong Safety Technology Initiated in Trucking Industries
A study as per the National Surface Transportation Safety Center for Excellence (NSTSCE) found trucking companies that have adopted strong safety cultures and took advantage of advanced safety technology have seen better safety outcomes. The result further indicated that a comprehensive approach in reducing collisions which included deploying advanced technology and building a robust organizational safety culture, reducing fatalities and injuries on roadways.
According to the research study, six out of the nine carriers reported building a strong safety culture that improved safety outcomes. Other best practices that helped build a strong safety culture included zero-tolerance policies for hours-of-service violations, implementing improvements in hiring policies and training protocols. It also modified driver scheduling to reduce fatigue, informing truck drivers about the carrier’s safety culture during orientation and sharing carrier comprehensive safety indicators with managers and drivers.
“Overall, the carriers attributed their success, not to one’ single fix’ solution but rather the fact that they adopted a comprehensive approach to safety culture and practices within their companies, specifically the adoption of advanced safety technologies,” according to Matthew Camden, a research associate with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) and the study’s principal investigator.
This article first appeared on the VegitOne Blog at https://www.vegitone.com/ensuring-safety-in-trucking-industry
