Critical issues facing the trucking industry in 2019 include truck parking, younger driver safety, the return-on-investment (ROI) of new truck safety technologies, and the impact of outsized "nuclear" verdicts, according to The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).
Arlington, Va.-based ATRI listed those issues at the top of its 2019 Top Research Priorities list, released today following a collaboration between its board of directors and its research advisory committee. The nonprofit research organization says its mission is studying freight transportation's role in maintaining a safe, secure, and efficient transportation system.
According to ATRI, the industry's top issues are:
- standardizing truck parking information systems - developing ideal truck parking data formats and standards based on truck driver preferences.
- rethinking mileage-based safety metrics - given the growth in e-commerce and other changing industry trends which have changed trip lengths and route locations, examine the potential for new metrics to evaluate safety performance beyond traditional rates per million vehicle miles traveled.
- analyzing younger driver safety in intrastate driving - quantifying the safety performance of 18-20 year old truck drivers who are currently driving in intrastate operations versus experienced interstate commercial drivers.
- revising the ROI of truck safety technologies - updating cost-benefit analyses that ATRI originally conducted for FMCSA on several more advanced safety technologies being deployed today.
- impact of "nuclear" verdicts on trucking - documenting and quantifying historical trends associated with growing jury awards and out-of-court settlements.
- tolls: who pays and where does the money go? - updating ATRI's previous infrastructure analyses to focus on tolls; comparative analysis of toll revenue reinvestment in roads versus administration, and the equity of toll formulas for cars and trucks.
The group will study those topics through efforts such as a driver survey beginning this week at the Mid-America Trucking Show, an industry conference taking place in Louisville, Ky.
