2017 brought many important changes to trucking. Technology is pouring into our industry, and we must evolve to remain competitive. Driver capacity has tightened significantly, and we expect to see that continue into 2018, especially with the ELD mandate taking effect. The complexities associated with chassis provisioning remain an industrywide issue.
• Technology: Trucks may not be self-driving yet, but we’re closer than most people expect. Technology that enables accident avoidance, lane changes, and cameras to monitor other vehicles and driver behavior are available. All trucks IMC Companies deployed and on order in 2017 come equipped with roll stability control and collision avoidance systems. We are using this technology to continually improve safety standards. We also hope that technology in the trucks will attract younger drivers to the industry. In addition, tracking technology gives us consistent data on how our trucks are performing and helps us to provide better data to our customers.
• Driver capacity: Due to freight volumes accelerating, the ATA predicts a driver shortfall of 50,000 positions by year-end that will, if the trend holds, grow to more than 174,000 by 2026. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to recruit and retain drivers. The ELD mandate could exacerbate this problem. One recent article stated that the ELD mandate could “result in a 7 percent loss of capacity.”
•Chassis provisioning: Chassis costs are not being fairly distributed, and motor carriers and some BCOs are being forced to pay above-market costs.