Perspective

The digital marketplace has not only reshaped the retail landscape, but also has caused a fundamental shift in the transportation industry, as companies are forced to provide the low-cost/no-cost and on-demand delivery service consumers now expect.

Don't let FOMO, or fear of missing out, push your business into blockchain technology, advises Ken Craig of McLeod Software.

Owners of fleets or dealers with large inventories of tractors and trailers must have a disciplined approach to turning those assets into cash at the end of their depreciation schedule or inventory life. These assets represent some of the largest investments these parties make, and the equipment depreciates every day. The goal is to maximize return on investment and divest when the time is right.

New chairman Barry Pottle: ATA has been criticized from the outside for catering to larger companies — but those of us on the inside, those of us who have rolled up our sleeves and gotten involved and gotten to work solving big issues, we know better. ATA speaks for our entire industry, but that voice is only as powerful as those who choose to join the chorus.

It is a great time to be in trucking. Signs demonstrating the strength of our industry and economy are everywhere.

By coming together with one voice, ATA has been able to effectively advocate on issues that motor carriers deem important, says Dave Manning, the 73rd chairman of American Trucking Associations and president of TCW in Nashville, Tenn.

Blockchain could serve as the much-needed replacement for the industry's legacy electronic data interchange system, updating supply chain logistics for the digital and big-data age and tackling the nation’s congestion problems in the process.

As final details emerge about the future shape and structure of the revamped North American Free Trade Agreement, one thing remains true: Change is coming.

For interstate carriers, allowing younger drivers to earn a CDL would vastly widen the pool of drivers and limit the loss of candidates to other careers. And that’s why some legislators are seeking a solution.

Here’s a nightmare scenario for you: Imagine if the government used a completely spurious and unscientific research method to study truck safety and driver fatigue. The data generated was unrelated to serious crashes and to drivers falling asleep at the wheel, but that same data was the principal basis of hours-of-service regulations imposed throughout the trucking industry. A really bad dream, right?