Arkansas Trucking Association

The American Transportation Research Institute released an analysis of the impacts that emerging e-commerce trends are having on the trucking industry, including the challenges and opportunities that more regionalized retail supply chains and the proliferation of urban “last mile” deliveries have presented.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Thomas Donohue has launched a contest for the “best, most viable ideas” for long-term, sustainable funding for infrastructure improvements. The winner will earn $25,000.

“As everyone knows, the challenge is how to pay for it,” Donohue said on Jan. 10.

The Chamber has lobbied for a 25 cent  increase in the fuel tax over five years to raise the funds for infrastructure maintenance and modernization, but raising the fuel tax, which hasn’t changed since 1993, has been unpopular politically in recent history.

The U.S. is not the only one with a driver shortage problem. The Ontario Trucking Association in Canada is calling on the provincial government to launch a pilot program that would allow freight carriers to bring in immigrant workers to fill a critical driver shortage.

The driver shortage across the border is caused by the same problems faced in the U.S. like an aging workforce.

Researchers from the University of Arkansas and Northeastern University released the results of a study on the effects of the electronic logging device mandate and found that since the mandate went into effect, hours of service compliance has increased and so has the frequency of speeding violations. The rate of truck crashes has not seemed to be affected by the mandate.

The report supposes that the speeding increases are due to drivers making up for productivity losses caused by complying with hours of service regulations.

On Jan. 31, Pres. Donald Trump signed an executive order to encourage the purchase of more American-made products on federal infrastructure projects.

The executive order, “Strengthening Buy American Preferences for Infrastructure Projects,” directs executive department and agency heads to encourage recipients of federal funds to “use, to the greatest extent practicable, iron and aluminum as well as, steel, cent, and other manufactured products produced in the United States in every contract, subcontract, purchase order, or sub award that is chargeable against such Federal financial assistant award.” The executive order also requires a report of opportunities to maximize Buy American principles be made available to the President by May 31, 2019.

Arkansas Trucking Association praises the 27 state senators and 71 representatives who have voted over the past two weeks in support of legislation that will generate an additional $95 million annually for highways. A success years in the making, the funding is part of Governor Asa Hutchinson's proposed plan to bring in an additional $417 million total annually for infrastructure, with $300 million of that going to the Arkansas Department of Transportation. 

"This is a victory for everyone who relies on Arkansas highways, rural roads, city streets and bridges," said Arkansas Trucking Association President Shannon Newton.  "It prioritizes safety and the efficient movement of commerce throughout the state.  We are grateful to the lawmakers who voted in support of funding our state's infrastructure."

The Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) applauds the reintroduction of the DRIVE-Safe Act, a critical piece of legislation that aims to address the massive driver shortage affecting the delivery of commerce in our country, while also promoting enhanced safety training for new members of the workforce.

ATA also praises the support of Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) and Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) as co-sponsors of the legislation.

Arkansas Trucking Association was one of 17 state trucking associations honored with Summa Cum Laude status during American Trucking Associations’ Safety, Security and Human Resources National Conference and Exhibition in Long Beach, Calif. on Nov. 14.

President Trump signed into law a package aimed at curbing abuse of opioid drugs, and included in the legislative package is a provision that requires the Department of Health and Human Services to provide Congress with an update on the status of guidelines for conducting hair-sample drug tests.

In 2015, the FAST Act highway bill required the U.S. DOT to recognize hair-sample drug tests for truck drivers as an alternative to urine-sample tests, and DHS was given a year to produce guidelines for how those tests should be conducted. Three years later, fleets are still waiting for those guidelines.

Two new studies report that crashes are up by as much as 6 percent in the first states to legalize marijuana—Colorado Nevada, Oregon and Washington—compared with neighboring states that haven't legalized marijuana for recreational use. The research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) come as campaigns to decriminalize marijuana gain traction with voters and legislators in the U.S., and Canada begins allowing recreational use of marijuana.

Arkansas Trucking Association President Shannon Newton was recently named to the American Transportation Research Institute 2019-2020 Research Advisory Committee (RAC). Among other activities, ATRI's RAC is responsible for annually identifying the top research priorities for the trucking industry.

RAC members represent a diverse cross-section of trucking industry stakeholders including motor carriers, industry suppliers, commercial drivers, shippers, law enforcement, academia and government.