Editorial: Uncle Sam and the Trucking Industry

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img src="/sites/default/files/images/articles/printeditiontag_new.gif" width=120 align=right>Three stories on the front page of this issue illustrate what an important role the federal government continues to play in the trucking industry decades after deregulation.

Our lead story this week reports that fleets that haul food and agricultural products are breathing a collective sigh of relief after the Food & Drug Administration eased its proposed regulations on food imports into the United States.

The original proposal would have required no less than 24 hours’ notice to the government before a truckload of carrots could cross the border from Canada. Congress ordered FDA to tighten up its rules in response to the terrorist attacks two years ago.

“The agricultural producers want to take something out of the ground and get it to you the same day,” which would have been impossible under the rule, said CNF’s Randal Mullett.

After hearing from producers and fleets, FDA issued final rules that were much more to trucking’s liking. Now, FDA will require only a two-hour notice for cross-border shipments that arrive by truck.

Our story on the new hours-of-service rules shows that fleets are trying to assess the added costs that will result from those work-rule changes ordered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, also under a mandate from Congress.

Again, the federal agency relented after trucking almost universally panned the first proposal as unworkable and prohibitively expensive.

While not all fleets are happy with the new HOS rules, virtually all agree that they’re far better than the original proposal. Now it’s a matter of finding ways to minimize the additional costs of a one-hour shorter workday, and a mandatory 10-hour break after 14 hours on the job.

The additional costs are going to have to be passed on to shippers and, ultimately, to consumers.

And, finally, the story on our next Diesel Engine Emissions Summit again reminds us of the role the Environmental Protection Agency plays in determining the power plants that move our trucks and the fuel that feeds those engines.

That EPA officials came to the original summit in Phoenix in June and listened to what trucking had to say was an excellent step. And there are indications that the summit has sparked more communication between the industry and the agency, which marks a significant step toward a more cooperative approach to problem solving.

All in all, those three stories are indicative of a government that is paying more attention to the industries it regulates. Let’s hope this is just the start of a trend.

This article appears in the Oct. 20 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.