2011 we will see some changes in the trucking industry. With CSA 2010 we will see some 10% of drivers being taken off the road. The is also talks of changing HOS to making driving time only 10 hours a day and reducing the 14 hours also. They may also change the reset time from 32 hours to 48 hours. There may also be more required equipment that forces mandated breaks and to get rid of paper logs to reduce "cheating"!
When we look at things we will also see many more boomers retiring in the coming 2 years. Trucker capacity is going to be strained heavily and if the economy picks up it will strain things even more. Add on the increase in fuel prices and things will start to look harder at a recovery.
There is also the need for highway spending in which the money has not been authorized for this year. This will be a fight. For the trucking industry hard times will be coming, and it will be the companies that are smart enough to adjust to the changes. There is also talk of taxing trucking companies even more because of their use of the highways. In my state of Michigan they are hiring 50 new Motor Carrier Officers focusing on weight stations, to get more money.
As I have been saying for the past 2 years drivers are in the sights of the liberal government. Simply because of those "dirty Diesel Trucks". 1 less hour per day is 55 miles not driven and equals 385 miles less during seven days. This will force more drivers out of the cab.
One of the advantages is if we can get drivers more on a 24 hour day cycle. One huge factor in weight gain is no normal sleeping patterns. It will also be nice to have 48 hours to restart the clock. Much better then getting 36 hours of home time.
We will see the games being played in June as the presidential election will start.
No comments:
Post a Comment