Opinion
The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders
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Young people are a key solution to trucking’s driver shortage
The industry appears mostly ready to embrace an established apprenticeship program for 18- to 20-year-olds with some program modifications, writes Truckload Carriers Association President Jim Ward.
Jim Ward • May 24, 2023 -
Here’s what you need to know to get started on AI
For trucking companies, the technology can help find efficiencies and take over mundane tasks.
Tanmay Mathur • May 19, 2023 -
5 strategies to safeguard profits in an uncertain economy
Cutting costs without investing in a forward-looking plan can be a recipe for disaster, writes an SVP of linehaul at XPO.
Tanmay Mathur • March 7, 2023 -
LTL industry believes NMFC classification system works
The standard deserves more credit for being a user-friendly resource, writes Joel Ringer of the National Motor Freight Traffic Association.
Joel Ringer • Jan. 18, 2023 -
Reducing deadhead miles is the best way trucking can cut emissions now
Deadheading negatively impacts drivers, trucks and roads, writes Nina Jovanovic of FleetOps.
Nina Jovanovic • Aug. 11, 2022 -
Hydrogen fuel cell technology essential to meeting trucking's decarbonization goals
The EPA's Clean Trucks Plan provides regulatory certainty, which is needed to scale up electric truck deployments.
Bill Elrick • April 19, 2022 -
Why we need the STEER Act to help trucking companies cut emissions
Combating climate change calls for near-term solutions. Stakeholders should be discussing what we can do for truck owners today, writes Jim Monkmeyer, president of transportation at DHL Supply Chain.
Jim Monkmeyer • March 30, 2022 -
Why semi-autonomous trucks are a bridge to a driverless future
The shift to AV technology can help curb emissions and recruit a wider range of workers, as the industry faces those issues head on, writes a PwC director.
Fred Duiven • Jan. 12, 2022 -
The US can be a leader in autonomous trucks — or get left behind
AVs are coming, and they'll be one arrow in the logistics industry's quiver to combat capacity crises like the one that has mounted over the past 18 months, the author writes.
Christopher Thornycroft • Dec. 6, 2021 -
Should brokers expand into LTL? Yes, but don't stop there.
3PLs and trucking firms with brokerage arms will need a menu of options that includes intermodal, parcel and LTL— and a carrier network for each one, the author writes.
JP Wiggins • Nov. 22, 2021 -
A longshore view: CDLs for ex-offenders could ease port congestion
Bottlenecks stem from a lack of common sense and a preference for monetary gains over solutions for the greater good, a former longshore worker writes.
Santura Pegram • Nov. 9, 2021 -
To go greener, fleets of all sizes need access to federal funding
Smaller trucking firms especially will need financial assistance to adopt greener equipment. That's where the STEER Act can help, the author writes.
Daniel Burrows • Oct. 25, 2021 -
Infrastructure spending: eye-popping but necessary
The trucking industry can't afford to continue to foot the bill of crumbling roads and bridges, the author writes.
Christopher Thornycroft • Oct. 4, 2021 -
Truck drivers have shown up for us. Here's how we can show up for them.
In the constant stream of global disruptions, drivers have been the silver lining, rising to extraordinary challenges, writes C.H. Robinson's Mac Pinkerton.
Mac Pinkerton • Sept. 15, 2021 -
The driver shortage isn't just a long-haul problem. It's a drayage problem.
Port jams and congested supply chains make drayage life grueling for those on the ground, and drivers are fleeing in droves.
Nimesh Modi • July 27, 2021 -
Put parking in the infrastructure bill
Research has provided the raw data necessary to inform future legislation on this issue. It's time for Congress to act, the author writes.
David Powell • June 16, 2021 -
Archaic regulations hurt industry's ability to recruit young truck drivers
While trucking safety technology has evolved significantly to meet the realities of 2021, age restrictions on hauling interstate loads has not, the author writes.
Mark S. Allen • June 14, 2021 -
Permission granted by the American Logistics Aid Network, courtesy of The Home Depot. Edited by Adeline Kon/Supply Chain Dive
Logistics firms can make a dent in climate change. I know from experience.
The last year has shown that supply chains are amazingly resilient, but even resilience has its limits, writes Kathy Fulton, executive director of the American Logistics Aid Network.
Kathy Fulton • June 1, 2021 -
Biden's plan pushes the limits of the definition of infrastructure
A sweeping bill may be too overreaching to make it through Congress, the author writes.
Eric R. Byer • May 7, 2021 -
Transport is entering the age of AI. Here are 3 ways it will accelerate efficiency.
The trucking industry has often been unable to make a business case for the technology. But the pandemic is changing that.
Vikas Shetty • Dec. 11, 2020 -
Retrieved from Amazon on October 09, 2020
Not just ROI: 8 other factors fleets should consider as EV adoption accelerates
Separating hype from reality is key to avoid falling into the "messy middle," the author writes.
Daniel Haake • Nov. 19, 2020 -
Long-haul truckers should prepare now to transition to zero-emissions
The more trucks there are to replace, the more pressing the need to start sorting them out, the author writes.
Paul Stith • Oct. 13, 2020 -
5 ways archaic mobile technology increases driver turnover
"Many carriers face a revolving door of new hires, and outdated technology is a key factor in trucker dissatisfaction," the author writes.
Gary Blohm • Aug. 13, 2020 -
The need for speed in CARB's new zero-emissions trucking future
"It's important to consider solutions that can address 'the other half' of the diesel truck market that will not be electric by 2035," the authors write.
BJ Johnson & Julie Blumreiter • July 20, 2020 -
A well-planned Chapter 11 can save a fleet
"Chapter 11 is intended to enable companies to restructure debts and to reorganize and revitalize their businesses. But preplanning and speed are key," the authors write.
Kenneth A. Rosen Mary E. Seymour Philip J. Gross • June 22, 2020