Editorial: Trucking Gathers in Las Vegas

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he leaders of the nation's trucking industry will be gathering in Las Vegas this week, with drivers' hours-of-service rules, security and the country’s economy at the top of the to-be-discussed list.

This year's version of American Trucking Associations' Management Conference & Exhibition comes as fleets are enjoying the best business times in years, even as diesel prices are at their highest level in history.

Freight capacity is very tight as the national economic recovery continues, in large part due to the many fleet failures that resulted from the recession that deflated the economy at the start of the decade.

This tight capacity has allowed fleets to not only raise their rates after years of poor earnings, it has meant that shippers are paying fuel surcharges without much complaint, knowing that to do otherwise risks losing their service.

And the new hours-of-service rules that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration implemented at the start of the year have led shippers to reform their loading practices, helping drivers quickly drop or pick up their loads and get back on the road. Otherwise, these shippers face additional charges for detaining drivers and equipment, and in light of the shortage of fleet options, shippers are paying the fees when they’re assessed.

All in all, these are pretty heady times for trucking.

But storm clouds are gathering on the horizon, as fuel prices threaten to let the steam out of the economic recovery; as a court ruling has challenged the hours-of-service rules; and as the fear of terrorism promises more major changes in operating procedures.

And while fleets have seemingly adapted to the new, lower-emissions diesel engines mandated for 2003 by the Environmental Protection Agency, ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel is scheduled to be introduced in 2006 and another generation of engines is slated for 2007.

Fleets are already concerned that the new engines are likely to cause additional truck price increases similar to the $5,000 to $6,000 prices added to trucks with the 2003 engines. And officials want to know if they will suffer additional fuel efficiency losses with the engines.

MCE offers fleet executives the perfect venue for discussing these issues, and for formulating coordinated responses to them. For, time and again, we've seen that when trucking speaks with a single voice its chances of being heard by the nation’s political leadership increase dramatically.

And that's why we're all gathering in Las Vegas. Hope to see you there.

This story appeared in the Oct. 11 edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.