Transportation Fluctuations

One Step Backward, Two Steps Forward?

Last week, from June 5th to 7th, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance sponsored this year’s International Roadcheck, during which police inspected commercial vehicles across the country.

In Rhode Island, state police checked 400 vehicles. Of those, they issued 565 vehicle violations and 116 driver violations.

As always, the goal was safety and compliance with state and federal law. There was concern of a driver slowdown: concern was that those not in compliance with hours of service and vehicle maintenance might simply take those days off to avoid receiving citations.

We got through it. “We” is the industry: third-party logistics, carriers, dispatch, customers.

And now?

Here’s a piece of news. Our friends at Trucks.com report:

“Motor carriers are scrambling to buy heavy-duty trucks as a vigorous economy creates huge demands to haul goods. Motor carriers are adding to their fleets in an effort to keep up with the volume of cargo that needs shipping.”

And it doesn’t stop there. The rules of supply and demand show the truck manufacturing sector with an increase in orders and sales, with some manufacturers even scrambling to keep pace and creating a bit of a domino effect throughout the supply chain.

Kenny Vieth, an analyst at ACT Research, said indicators pointed to a strong economy for the transportation industry through the first half of 2019. After that? Will it slow a bit and balance the (healthy) chaos we’ve been experiencing this year?

Now fold into that the increased production, exposure, and what seems like a healthy acceptance of hydrogen-powered semi-trucks that are scheduled to be introduced to the nation’s roads.

Will this new technology create positive disruption in the industry?

We don’t know. And we really look forward to finding out.