What do your morning coffee, bagel, clothes, car and train all have in common? Chances are they were all delivered to you via a truck driver, actually a lot of truckers. In an era where so many things are moving to automation, it may be easy to forget that the trucking industry continues to play an absolute vital role in commerce.
Fleets of private and for hire trucks move everything across U.S. state lines from produce and consumer goods to fuel and lumber and other raw materials. According to American Trucking Trends 2014, a study recently released by the American Trucking Association, trucking continues to be the dominant form of transportation in the U.S. when it comes to moving freight. Consider these findings:
- In 2013, trucks transported 69.1 percent of all (U.S.) domestic freight tonnage;
- The trucking industry also collected 81.2 percent of all freight revenue; and,
- Trucking employed more than seven million people in 2013.
Challenges for Truck Drivers
To be sure, life on the road hauling cargo across the country is not without challenges. On the home front, a truck driver is typically away from loved ones for days on end. On the job, in addition to fleet operator policies, there are numerous federal regulations that a driver must comply with such as hours of service (HOS) which is intended to curb fatigue. HOS regulations, aimed at keeping the roads safer, require drivers to log hours on and off the road and mandate limited drive time such as a maximum of 11 hours following 10 hours of rest. Imagine then the added pressure of getting to a destination within a required timeframe which typically also involves loading and unloading cargo. The journey can also be hampered by bad weather, traffic jams or mechanical issues.
News from Verizon Networkfleet and J.J. Keller & Associates
Though most of the larger fleet operators have moved to electronic logging, many truck drivers, particularly owner-operators, still keep paper logs which can be cumbersome, not to mention not as accurate. To take the complexity out of logging required data, Verizon Networkfleet and J.J. Keller & Associates have teamed up to deliver a unique, cost-effective fleet management solution which will allow truck drivers to maintain compliance with federal requirements while also measuring vehicle performance for improved efficiency. The solution is well suited for larger fleets too given the additional benefit of using telematics to gauge vehicle performance.
With this new integrated solution, Verizon Networkfleet clients will be able to efficiently manage critical requirements such as hours of service (HOS), driver vehicle inspection reports (DVIRs) and fuel taxes (IFTA), offering greater ability to manage and improve Compliance, Safety and Accountability (CSA) scores. The J.J. Keller electronic compliance functionality will be embedded in Verizon Networkfleet hardware, which will seamlessly transfer data to the J.J. Keller Mobile app via Bluetooth technology.
So the next time you’re feeling impatient behind a big rig, remember all that the trucking industry is hauling to make your life easier and consider thanking a trucker.
