Perspective

It’s flu season again, so for the sake of an analogy, imagine for a moment that you feel something nasty coming on.

Each year, American Trucking Associations elects a new chairman of the board to lead the organization for a year, and this year, I have been blessed and humbled by this honor.

As an industry as connected to the highways as trucking, we know an awful lot about roads. We know about smooth roads — those that are easy to traverse, the ones where you can feel the wind at your back and the sun on your face.

With the availability of so many recently discharged veterans, many of whom have operated heavy vehicles, and the need for qualified drivers, one would think that Washington would find a way to expedite the marriage of the availability with the need.

Nearly 12 months ago, I proudly accepted the title of chairman of American Trucking Associations, thus beginning one of the most exciting and exhausting years of my professional life, and an experience I’ve been humbled and honored to have.

With unemployment a lingering national problem, it’s not surprising that “wrongful termination” lawsuits have become something of a cottage industry.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance, that country’s national trucking group, along with the provincial trucking associations, celebrated Canada’s National Trucking Week this year on Sept. 2-8. The weeklong observance honored the 400,000 Canadian men and women who keep the country’s freight moving.

Transportation companies with independent contractor relationships should brace themselves for potential misclassification challenges from multiple fronts. Given the budget crises facing many states and the federal government, the interests of legislators, government agencies and unions have aligned, resulting in a coordinated effort to discourage the use of independent contractors — or to reclassify them as employees.

Many carriers, beset by both the weak economy and pricing competition from brokers and third-party logistics providers, are seeking new ways to win, keep and better serve customers. Business lines such as home delivery, warehousing and alternative mail are adding to — or replacing — revenues cut by the economy and the competition.

If some enterprising psychologist hasn’t done so already, an intriguing study could be conducted on why so many otherwise intelligent people have never managed to read all of a warranty, a homeowner’s insurance policy or even the instruction manual that came with the latest piece of pricey electronic equipment.