Transportation Priorities

Directions in our Driving

NATCO: Planning Ahead

It’s always a good idea to plan ahead. In our 3PL business – and with our customer base always the top priority – that planning includes matching the right truck for each and every load, being in compliance with oversize freight regulations, and securing the right permits, all toward successful, on-time delivery.

In the spirit of planning ahead, The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has just released its top research priorities for 2019.

Based in Arlington, VA, ATRI conducts trucking industry research on issues that affect “a safe, efficient and viable transportation system.”

Responsible for evaluating and presenting its topics, ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee consists of “government officials, independent scientists, labor union officials, academics and trucking company executives and suppliers from a diverse cross-section of the industry, all who understand the importance of sound science to an industry as complex as the trucking industry.”

Their list includes:

• Standardizing Truck Parking Information Systems – developing ideal truck parking data formats and standards based on truck driver preferences.
• Rethinking Mileage-Based Safety Metrics – given the growth in E-commerce and other changing industry trends which have changed trip lengths and route locations, examine the potential for new metrics to evaluate safety performance beyond traditional rates per million vehicle miles traveled.
• Analyzing Younger Driver Safety in Intrastate Driving – quantifying the safety performance of 18-20 year old truck drivers who are currently driving in intrastate operations versus experienced interstate commercial drivers.
• Revising the ROI of Truck Safety Technologies – updating cost-benefit analyses that ATRI originally conducted for FMCSA on several more advanced safety technologies being deployed today.
• Impact of “Nuclear” Verdicts on Trucking – documenting and quantifying historical trends associated with growing jury awards and out-of-court settlements.
• Tolls: Who Pays and Where Does the Money Go? – updating ATRI’s previous infrastructure analyses to focus on tolls; comparative analysis of toll revenue reinvestment in roads versus administration, and the equity of toll formulas for cars and trucks.

Each of these issues affects every aspect of the 3PL industry, from customer to carrier and from dispatch to end user. As always, we look forward to the research and the recommendations.