The end of the year is a good time to pause and reflect, and many trucking industry media outlets did just that the last week of December. This list of the top 10 stories or blogs—mostly selected by how many eyeballs saw them—was very interesting. And for those of you who know me, you won't be surprised to learn that I spent some time analyzing the articles that topped the various lists.
I expected the top articles to focus on all the technological changes taking place in the industry, and there were certainly plenty of articles that were future-focused. Many of them were about zero-emission and autonomous vehicles. But there were also a decent number of articles on more immediate issues. Heck, the No. 1 FleetOwner IdeaXchange was about truck parking. In addition, there were blogs about other driver-related issues; some discussed upcoming regulatory changes, while others, including my own, reminded us not to rule out diesel as a fuel option for powering trucks.
The more time I spent looking at these topics, the clearer it became that we’ve got a lot going on. I commented on this in a previous blog about how technology pulls us in too many directions, then I realized the top articles had two clear themes. One is the day-to-day issues and problems fleets confront every day, for example, the lack of adequate parking, the need to keep drivers safe, and the Drug And Alcohol Clearinghouse, among others. The other theme was about emerging technologies that fleets need to address but perhaps don’t have day-to-day urgency. Fleets cannot ignore issues with longer-term ramifications, but sometimes they must take a back seat to the nitty gritty issues that crop up.
See also: Top 10 Emissions & Efficiency stories of 2023
It can be tricky to handle problems that need immediate attention while facing issues with more far-reaching implications. I think success comes down to balance and resource deployment. Fleet managers have to allocate time to each type of problem. You have to worry about whether your drivers are going to have safe places to park, and you have to work on your strategy for moving your fleet to zero-emissions powertrains. Consider putting together a team of individuals who work on the longer-term issues in order to ensure they don't constantly get overlooked by the more urgent day-to-day problems.
While fleets are facing a lot of issues, I will reiterate something I have said before: We have a lot of bright people in trucking, and I have complete confidence that we will continue to deal with our day-to-day issues while making progress on the long-term challenges we’re facing.
Frankly, it’s a balancing act we've been exceptionally good at for decades.
Michael Roeth has worked in the commercial vehicle industry for nearly 30 years, most recently as executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE). He serves on the second National Academy of Sciences Committee on Technologies and Approaches for Reducing the Fuel Consumption of Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles and has held various positions in engineering, quality, sales, and plant management with Navistar and Behr/Cummins.
