Nobody likes more rules and regulations and one of the biggest complaints about the federal government is it can be overly protective in a way that can stunt business growth and hurt the economy. But sometimes regulations can be a good thing and as the commercial trucking industry continues to grow more and more regulations could be headed its way.
The commercial trucking industry has not been immune to the regulatory atmosphere of the past several years as more and more investments are made in this growing industry. The increased regulations placed on commercial trucking companies are seen by some as unneeded road block that will hurt an industry in the process of rebounding from the 2008 recession, but other believe those new regulations could lead to new technology that helps the commercial trucking industry in the long term by being more cost efficient and able to save on fuel consumption.
Last year Bill Graves, president and CEO of the American Trucking Association, said that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s CSA safety plan from 2010 is an opportunity for the industry to get on the right side of the issue of safety and be proactive when it comes to regulations that are expected to hit the commercial trucking industry over the next several years.
“If it’s done properly, it helps us get the bad actors off the road,” Graves said.
Some of the regulations under consideration and being explored by national transportation organizations relate to improved driver safety, especially as more truck drivers are hitting the road and the need for CDL trained commercial truck drivers is only expected to increase over the next several years. The federal government wants to make sure new commercial truck drivers are properly trained and that is why many CDL driver training programs, such as the Diesel Driving Academy, provide students with a training program that includes a strong focus of truck driver safety.
Graves’ presentation also addressed other regulatory issues that experts say could impact the commercial trucking industry, including a focus on improving fuel efficiency standards for commercial trucks.
“These (fuel) standards are going to be costly to drivers and the industry, as we’re going to have to pay more for trucks, engines, tire pressure monitoring systems, aerodynamic devices,” Graves said. But he also added that there could be a long term benefit.
New regulatory standards that drive down costs will have a great impact on the trucking industry as the economy begins to recover. Many economists say that one of the first industries to benefit from the economic recovery will be the commercial trucking industry and there is already an increased demand for more CDL truck drivers to pick up the slack.
