Progress and Innovation Driving Fleet Solutions

Progress in Fleet Solutions Initiated by Challenge

While autonomous trucks, a positive fuel economy, and innovative fuel management may lead current conversations when it comes to progress in the trucking industry, none of those would have been possible without the challenges that fleet managers have been facing over the last decade. Transportation Administration Association and state and federal governments along with individual fleet solutions are working to address the challenges now, but coordinated efforts have been a long time coming and they have a long way to go.

Challenges Facing the Industry

• Driver shortages have been a continuing industry issue and rank as the #1 challenge for the second year in a row. With growing demand and a shrinking pool of new hires, the concern continues.
• Hours of service is one of the major challenges facing the trucking industry. For a third year in a row the American Transport Research Institute (ATRI) highlighted that each year, uncertainty surrounding the future of the regulations kept HOS atop the list of concerns.
• Compliance safety and accountability (CSA) comes second on the list of concerns among the respondents to a survey conducted by ATRI. Compliance Safety and Accountability (CSA) and its safety measures used to predict carrier crash risk. According to research there is a vacuum between the actual data collected and the data reported. It is believed that CSA as a predictor is not an appropriate tool to measure safety.
• Driver Retention. As a result of the industry’s hiring shortage, the size of trucking fleets nationwide has shrunk instead of expanding since the last economic downturn. There has not been much upward movement in the sales of truck equipment for the last few years simply because of the lack of truck drivers, according to Dan Clark, president of GE Capital Transportation Finance. He says that hiring takes place only when there is a vacancy left by a retired workforce.
• Truck Parking – or the lack thereof – is considered one of the top 10 most vital concerns for the industry. Research found that lack of parking brings a dilemma for the drivers. Drivers then have to violate their Hours of Service rule and continue to drive more than the allowed time or park at undesignated spots.
• Driver Wellness and Health was ranked seventh by the researchers. They feel that due attention must be given to mental and physical health of the drivers. Sleep deprivation is considered to be the most concerning factor here as drivers who lack sleep can be the cause of fatal accidents.
• Among other factors are the challenges of improper infrastructure including expanded tolls for trucks, congested roads, fluctuating fuel prices, lack of government funding, and finally, driver distraction.

Clearly, these concerns are being addressed in more ways than one and the industry is hopeful that 2019 will hold even more progress for the future of trucking. But the concerns will continue and one of the biggest considerations includes safety, with the goal of preventing accidents and saving lives. As with any field, technology can be used to help in the effort, and it has been successful with metrics of proof. Robust fleet solutions including software and mobile apps that monitor driver behavior are working to make drivers more aware and conscientious. These fleet solutions that monitor speed and braking also provide the fleet managers with vital information that can benefit the individual driver and the entire fleet.

3 Safety Advantages from Fleet Solutions with Tech

1. Route Planning — Sensors in the vehicle communicate with GPS services to determine the best route, which is then displayed on a head-up display that physically directs the driver along route.

2. Accident Prevention — Sensors alert drivers to the position of other vehicles on the road and prevent collisions. The cars can even override driver controls to avoid an accident.

3. Safety — A series of sensors in the seat belt can track the driver’s physiological indicators and determine whether the driver is fatigued or intoxicated. If the driver fails any of the tests performed by the sensors, the vehicle becomes inoperable.

Technology is also helping with the number one concern in the industry —driver shortage. A younger work force is clearly attracted to advances in technology that they have incorporated into their daily lives. They will expect those applications in their chosen profession as well. To that end, fleet solutions have been developed to address their requirements.

Not only are fleet managers offering mobile apps that can make their life on the road easier, they are also thinking about the things that matter most. Although it is not the number one concern, a paycheck is at the top of the “matters most” list. Companies like EFS offer fleet solutions that include robust fleet payment options. On-the-road payment designed for over-the-road carriers is taking some fleets by storm. These EFS fleet solutions are presenting innovation in ways that are leading the field, easing life for the driver and the fleet managers alike.

Robust fleet payment solutions are taking fleets to the next level by offering complete visibility and control through innovative technology and the cloud. And, although technology might sometimes complicate things, EFS fleet payment processes actually help to simplify complex business payments. The progress that companies like EFS have brought forward is becoming standard for the industry and expected by the drivers.

Even the technology behind fuel cards is helping to make their lives easier, which should not be taken for granted in addressing the driver shortage. Not only are these young drivers looking for technology to make their jobs and lives on the road easier, they are looking for companies that care about who they are and the challenges they face. Fleet cards are just one example of a tool that is helping to enrich the culture of companies across the nation and therefore bolstering driver retention.

Policy Will Inform Best Practices and Progress

While it is clear that technology has transformed the trucking industry on remarkable levels from fleet payment solutions and mobile resources to GPS tracking and cloud services, there are other factors driving progress as well. American Trucking Association President Chris Spear sees progress coming in the form of policy and funding. He is specifically focused on getting support and funding for workforce development and infrastructure. The ATA is addressing the driver shortage on multiple fronts but many of them include changes at the federal and local administrative levels.

“A lot of administrative things can be done. Credentialing is an issue. States don’t recognize training done in another state. We have an average two months’ wait to get a commercial driver license.” — ATA President Chris Spear

Most robust fleet solutions across the nation include strategies for recruiting new drivers among women and minorities and the ATA is on board. They are supporting that effort through their “urban hiring Initiative,” which will look at ways to better attract that population. Spears says that the initiative will employ federal money, state agencies, and local workforce boards to find and train potential hires. The ATA and the industry have also partnered with the military in an effort to transition and train veterans.

In addressing the younger work force, Spears has recommended legislation to permit 18-21-year-olds the ability to drive trucks in interstate commerce. So, while individual fleet solutions are looking at internal tactics to attract the millennials, the industry as a whole is looking at policy.

Another focus for the ATA is addressing state-to-state regulations, which sometimes present duplicate and different rules incompatible with federal regulations. The ATA is suggesting a single set of rules that can be implemented state-to-state that would enable smoother interstate compliance. Along with regulation and compliance initiatives, Spears is hopeful of seeing a sound infrastructure funding mechanism, but there is a lot involved and a lot that is out of the industry’s hands.

In the meantime, they are also considering the best solutions for integrating autonomous vehicles. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao on October 4th unveiled AV 3.0, the agency’s policy update of autonomous vehicle technology guidelines. Spear and others will keep the topic top of mind for the coming year as there is much to discuss. However, the initial report highlights topics that pertain to trucks, transit systems, cars, and trains and those points are as follows:

• Prioritize safety
• Remain technology neutral
• Modernize regulations
• Encourage consistent regulations
• Prepare proactively for automation
• Protect the freedoms enjoyed by Americans

These are just a few of the ways that the trucking industry is addressing the concerns, and clearly they are likely to grow. For now, fleet owners and managers can look forward to the progress put forth by updated policy and new technology prompted by the ATA and the industry as a whole. These innovations and accomplishments will go a long way in strengthening the industry overall, and the even better news is that they will help to improve and advance their own fleet solutions.

RESOURCES: