Current news in the trucking industry covers a wide area of topics ranging from federal oversight to gas prices. Here are four of the most important topics currently affecting the industry.
Changes To The FMCSA Exemption Process Concerning Diabetes: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has recently ruled that truckers with diabetes can be cleared to drive by certified medical professionals. Previously, if you had stable diabetes you would have to get an exemption from the FMCSA directly. This change reduces the turnaround time for clearance as previously acquiring an exemption status could take up to six months. This new process is faster, reduces FMCSA overhead, and gets you back to work quicker.
Hair Testing Guidelines: The Fighting Opioid Abuse in Transportation Act, S2848 was recently passed by the United States Senate (note that it still has to be approved by the House Of Representatives to become law). A provision of S2848 was the requirement of hair testing guidelines to detect drug use. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has pushed back against the need for such guidelines citing the ineffectiveness of such tests. In a statement, the OOIDA highlighted a lack of scientific protocol and those fleets that currently use hair testing in addition to urine testing show no applicable reduction in crashes reported.
National Hiring Standards: Of particular importance to the trucking and shipping industry is an amendment currently being reviewed by the United States Senate as part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act. The National Carrier Hiring Standard would require that fleet companies must meet several requirements before being hired by a shipper or broker. These standards of not having received unsatisfactory safety ratings, carrying the proper amount of insurance, and being registered with the FMCSA.
Rising Fuel Prices: The price of diesel fuel has risen notably in the past year. On September 25th, 2017 diesel fuel was priced at a national average of $2.788 per gallon. Current prices as of September 23rd, 2018 list the average national price at $3.268 per gallon. With a price increase of roughly 16% in a single year this will increase your overall fuel expenses compared to 2017 and should be carefully tracked.
Conclusion
Current federal laws and changes to standards could notably impact the trucking industry. However, not all of these changes are necessarily a bad thing. For example, recent changes to the diabetes exemption make being cleared for work easier if you have the condition and the OOIDA continues to fight against unnecessary drug testing requirements. Also, the National Hiring Standards are currently followed by many shippers and fleets and making them mandatory may not have much of an overall industry impact. Finally, while rising fuel prices are never a good thing simple awareness of them can help you reduce the effect they have on your expenses and by extension your earnings.