Perspective

Since May 2014 and the introduction of the new medical examiner system, more than 150,000 drivers have left the transportation industry due to medical ineligibility.

The trucking industry is searching for ways to alleviate what has become a national epidemic that apparently is growing — the driver shortage. But this problem may not be solved without tackling the enormous elephant in the room, which is costly for drivers and fleets: driver downtime and detention.

Not much has changed since the 1970s when, as a young technology marketer, I stood on the docks of countless trucking companies for hours, sometimes days, clipboard in hand, trying to measure the time and efficiency of dock management. Armed with data laboriously collected, I would confront trucking executives with the evidence that I thought would persuade them to invest in the latest technology of the day to automate wherever they could.

A lot of competing financial issues face transportation companies, but unfortunately, not all of these needs are within your control

In the world of transportation, change is something we deal with every day. It becomes a challenge to manage customer demands, the regulatory landscape, positive driver experiences and big data while promoting an organizational culture that is ready to accommodate the changes happening in front of us.

Just when we thought the price of oil couldn’t slide any further, here we are. As I write this, crude oil prices have fallen below $30 per barrel for the first time since 2003 — dropping 40% from six months ago. Few imagined that prices would be where they are to start the new year. And even fewer (fuel hedgers aside) budgeted so.

Communication and team building are two ideas or points of emphasis that all successful transportation firms need to understand and utilize.

Transportation and fleet managers have wrestled for years with the cost versus benefit of incorporating telematics on their trucks. The term telematics derives from the combination of telecommunications and informatics and represents a variety of devices also known as onboard computer systems.

It has been great to have a lull in high fuel prices, hasn’t it? Almost something we could get used to. But would you bet on these prices sticking around forever?

Although Congress finally passed a five-year, $305 billion highway bill, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, and President Obama signed it Dec. 4, we should not overlook the ancillary issues that distinguish between the needs of the motoring public and the transportation industry.