My father was a truck driver and for a number of decades the state of the industry that provided our family’s livelihood looked very similar to the state of the industry at the time I started my career in trucking. A commitment to service and safety were the twin pillars of success. Year after year, mile after mile, the trucking industry grew with our nation to become the economic lifeline of the U.S. economy. Simultaneously, our nation’s political leaders, bold and visionary, literally laid the foundation for continued economic growth by expending their political capital to build the greatest system of roads on earth.
Fast forward to 2015. While the dynamics of the trucking industry were once constant and predictable, the new reality is an onslaught of technological opportunities that are rushing into every aspect of the LTL business, from the tractor to the dock. Advanced safety devices, from lane departure warning systems to forward collision avoidance radar, help guide drivers on the road. And dockworkers can now use dimensioners to make instant calculations on shipment specifics. Innovation is everywhere, even in the fuel used to power our trucks. Diesel is significantly cleaner, and two or three alternative fuels are on the industry’s horizon. Change is now riding shotgun in the trucking industry’s passenger seat.
While the promise of technology is a certain part of the trucking industry’s future, it must be met with innovation. With professional, qualified drivers in short supply and technology-loaded tractors markedly more expensive, the introduction of twin 33-foot trailers to the national network is a game-changing opportunity for the less-than-truckload industry. Not only will this simple, incremental increase in trailer length enable the industry to be more productive, it will improve safety and reduce emissions because there will be fewer trailers on the road.
Finally, the most important change we need in 2015 is to commit to a long-term highway infrastructure plan and be willing to pay for it. Five decades ago, great leaders such as President Eisenhower had the political will and courage to create one of the greatest treasures of our nation’s economy. Maintaining this great Interstate system is now the responsibility of our generation. We simply must get it done.
James Welch, CEO, YRC Worldwide