CR England Girl

There’s growing concern amidst those in the transportation and freight industries about the impact that escalating fears over the swine flu will have on operations, including potential restrictions on the flow of goods between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Moreover, the continuing spread of the virus could also delay a resolution between the United States and Mexico regarding the cross-border trucking controversy (see here).

photo via Today’s Trucking

Health officials say the outbreak should be cause for concern, not panic. However, given the nature of their job, truck drivers are being urged to be extra vigilant when on the road. The Department of Homeland Security has a Pandemic Influenza guide specifically for highway motor carriers that the ATA (which has a pandemic planning page on its website) recommends truckers familiarize themselves in the event the outbreak worsens in the U.S.

Regarding the outbreak, the ATA said, “ATA is aware that, depending on how aggressively the swine flu continues to spread, certain government actions might be taken which could impact trucking operations, especially cross-border operations with Mexico and Canada, and potentially at a domestic level.”

To learn more about the current international swine flu situation, click here. To learn more about swine flu, visit Wikipedia.

A quick note: The virus is not transmitted through food and cannot be spread through pork products, so eat up!

The Los Angeles Port (via the NY Times) is the nation’s busiest port.

At least for the ATA. On Monday, a U.S. District Court Judge ruled to temporarily stop the Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports from imposing several stipulations in their Clean Truck Program, including a handful of provisions the ATA says is nothing more than an attempt to overturn the Motor Carrier Act of 1980 (which deregulated trucking in the U.S.). While clean truck fees and the ban on dirty diesel trucks remain, the ruling threw out requirements to mandate truck driving companies operating in the ports to give hiring preference to local drivers and administrative fees to cover port authority oversight costs paid by trucking companies. Furthermore, it also banned truck parking restrictions in L.A. and Long Beach that would force big rigs from residential streets around the ports.

Want to read more about the ruling? Click here.

While every trucking company makes significant contributions to the transportation and freight industries, there’s something to be said about the security that comes with working for a large company.  According to Forbes.com, a staggering 480 truck driving company went out of business in the first quarter of 2009.  Yet, those companies held less than 1% of the country’s total trucking capacity, meaning they were likely smaller, perhaps regional carriers.

Bigger, national trucking companies have the resources and financial stability needed to weather an economic storm – or more specifically, the deepening recession the United States (and much of the rest of the world) is currently experiencing.  While many companies across various industries – including truck driving – cut costs by laying off workers, drivers for big carriers are often afforded job security and stability that others working for smaller trucking companies are not.  In fact, CR England is still actively accepting applicants for their truck driving schools (see here).  The environment and operations of a large company may not be for every driver, but they do provide much sought-after job security during a turbulent economy.

Despite the recession, there’s one tool that’s helping transportation companies keep on trucking (pun intended). Internet Truckstop has just launched ShipperMate, an online lead generation tool that gives members access to a database of more than seven million shippers who have made at least one shipment, either full or less than truckload. Shippers can complete a profile that includes their contact information, what type of shipper they are, seasonal shipping patterns, and more. Furthermore, ShipperMate offers a built-in CRM that enables users to organize and manage leads.

The program is proving quite successful; in fact, Senior Account Manager for CR England Daniel Kelty says the company has been using ShipperMate for just two months and has already acquired two new customers as a result.

To learn more about the program, click here for an article by SOA World Magazine or visit the official Internet Truckstop website.

The American Trucking Association is currently pushing to increase the number of longer-combination vehicles (LCVs) allowed on the nation’s highways – it’s all part of the organization’s initiative to green the industry. But the push is drawing criticism and sparking debate from others, including some truck drivers, who are convinced LCVs may do more harm than good.

Only 23 states in the country allow LCVs on their roads, typically those with less densely-populated areas (California has banned them altogether). Many claim triple and even double trailers are dangerous and comprise safety, especially in areas where there are more drivers on the road.

But the ATA argues that LCVs have a decent safety record – better than five-axle semis. In fact, they are the most regulated vehicles on the road; drivers of such vehicles must have special permits to operate them, they are only allowed on certain roads, and they must get off the road during inclement weather. Furthermore, truck driving companies don’t take any risks when it comes to operating LCVs – they use only their best and most experienced drivers.

The ATA claims that having more LCVs on the road will increase fuel efficiency, shrink truck congestion, and reduce pollution since it will result in fewer trucks on the road.

Do you think LCVs are good for the environment (and the industry) or comprise safety on the road?