Arkansas Trucking Association

The Last Word

Slow Down Speed Limit Increases

By Matt Hart

On Aug. 8, a new law went into effect in Arkansas, allowing the Department of Transportation to raise the speed limit on some major highways to 75 mph. So far, no speed limits have actually changed, but engineers are studying the traffic patterns and road designs to determine where and if the speed limits should be raised.

We’ve been asking ‘how fast can we go?’ on highways all around the country. Questions asked less often: Is it safe? Is it worth it? How do you know?

While Arkansas may choose not to go any faster on any of its 16,432 highway miles, DOT is slowing down to ask the right questions.

In my state, Illinois, I’ve seen this speed limit debate go on for nearly two decades.  The Illinois Trucking Association (ITA) fought for years for uniform speed limits after enduring many years where the speed limit was 55 for trucks and 65 for cars.  Legislation initiated by our Association in 2011 finally closed that speed limit differential to 65 mph for all vehicles, with a couple of exceptions near Chicago.

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2017 Arkansas Trucking Championship

ATA would like to thank all the volunteers, sponsors, vendors, drivers, technicians, and fans that helped to make the 2017 Arkansas Trucking Championship the biggest to date!

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Up Front- Sisyphean Task

Shannon Newton
President, ATA

When I sit down to write this column, I usually pick up my pom-poms and megaphone, taking on the role of industry cheerleader. I let you know where we are in the game, if we are chanting “D-E-F-E-N-S-E!” or “S-C-O-R-E!”

Usually, I’ve got good news. Our bill was passed. We got through to our legislators or the public. We did a good deed. We’ve set new goals. We celebrated a new milestone. We launched a new program.

This time, instead of good news, I’ve got perspective. For all the times fighting for the industry feels like political football, it isn’t the kind of game where the buzzer sounds, the ice chest is upended and we all go home.

The work is never really over, and I am reminded of that each time highway funding gets pushed further down on the agenda or when I open my inbox to misinformation about the industry and what we contribute.

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The Last Word

Self-Driving Prophecy

By David O'Neal CDS

Some headlines predict “Robot trucks could replace 2 million drivers by 2030;” some titles ask “Trucks with no drivers?” Others just report our anxieties “From cowboys to robots: truckers wary of autonomous rigs.”

Truckloads of ink and more than a few bytes of data have been (and will continue to be) generated on the subject of how autonomous technology will affect the role of truck driver. Is there a signal in all this noise?

Here is what we know: (1) The trucking industry continues to deal with a shortage of qualified drivers; (2) Technology doesn’t just evolve, it often appears to make exponential leaps forward; (3) Much of the necessary technology already exists and is in use across all types of vehicles; and (4) Up to 90% of all vehicle crashes are the result of human error.

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