Page 19 - Newcom

GUEST COLUMN
Dave Earle
From disruption, a new road for trucking
We live in times of turmoil and change. Climate, technology, demo- graphics, and population growth all influence our lives. We can be overwhelmed by these changes or choose to redefine how we live
and work.
The trucking industry must con- tinue to be flexible and open to the opportunities disruption presents. National Trucking Week was a great time to consider where to go from here.
Wildfires, flooding, and other catastrophic weather events are forcing us to confront the effect of excessive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Transportation gener- ally is a scapegoat, and heavy trucks bear part of the blame. But trucks are also a testing ground – largely successful – for devices and strate- gies that reduce GHG emissions.
Fewer emissions mean increased fuel efficiency, and no one likes that more than trucking. The industry has been developing and adopting efficiency measures for years. Some are ubiquitous, like the aerody- namic profile of most highway truck tractors. Others have become more common in the past decade, such as trailer side skirts, boat tails, and wide-base single tires.
We’re also witnessing a race to introduce new electric or hybrid zero-emission Class 8 tractors, the highway workhorse that makers from Kenworth to Volvo and new- comers like Tesla, Nikola, and others are working to develop and launch across North America and globally.
These changes, along with automa- tion and truck platoons, are rebrand- ing trucking as “futuristic” and could do what the industry’s old-school roots cannot: attract a young cohort of drivers and technicians who want hands-on time with clean, sustain- able, high-tech equipment.
Addressing licensing restrictions to allow 18-year-old high school grads access to commercial certi- fication (currently only available to 19 year olds in B.C.) is a step
out of the industry’s hands, but makes sense as newer, safer, bet- ter-tracked equipment reaches the market and the industry. The com- mercial driver shortage, a demo- graphic challenge, could become less of a threat as a result.
On the horizon for years, the driver shortage is now a reality trucking companies are scrambling to address. The industry is changing the way it does business, not only in terms of
its equipment, but also its HR prac- tices. Companies are increasing truck driver salaries as a way to attract new drivers, but salaries alone are not an incentive for recruitment.
Given accurate tracking by ELDs, companies need to safeguard a truck driver’s time, and many are.
Shippers need to work with the industry on scheduling and wait time expectations. And, where pos- sible, companies should re-examine the long days permitted by hours- of-service regulations (in Canada, a maximum of 14 hours on duty/13 of those driving; in the U.S., 14 hours on duty/11 driving). Imagine asking the rest of the workforce to extend an eight-hour day to meet those standards, and, as long-haul service providers do, to spend the majority of their time away from their fami- lies and communities.
Companies are developing indi- vidual solutions for their operations. Ideally, they need to engage their
current and prospective drivers in a meaningful conversation to ask what they need to balance their working and personal lives.
The job of a truck driver requires a level of professionalism that employers need to demand and support. That could mean calling for a truck driver training standard, requiring new hires to have ade- quate training and experience, and mentoring entry-level drivers. Truck drivers who take pride in what they do already operate with profes- sionalism and skill – expertise we should respect and acknowledge.
Times of turmoil and change can be exciting for the industry, for
Dave Earle is the president and CEO of the British Columbia Trucking Association. In addition to his industry experience, Earle was vice-president of government relations and HR services for the Construction Labour Relations Association of B.C. and was an adviser, manager, and executive director with the provincial Ministry of Labour’s Employers’ Advisers Office.
trucking companies, and for the women and men willing to drive for a living. Thank you to everyone who’s already leading the way. TW
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October 2018 • Truck West 19