Eaton said the new standards provide incentives that will serve as a catalyst for deploying new fuel-efficient technologies such as hybrids and advanced drivetrains. “We are committed to work with our customers to make vehicles, large and small, cleaner and more efficient,” said Alexander Cutler, chairman and CEO.
Bendix said it offers a range of product solutions – including air management and other technologies – to help OEMs and fleets meet the new standards. “Protecting the environment for future generations is everyone’s responsibility,” said Joe McAleese, president and CEO.
– Dean Smallwood
Most drivers don’t understand CSA, report shows
More than 77 percent of drivers incorrectly believe that a trucking company inherits past violations from new hires, while nearly two-thirds of drivers are somewhat or extremely concerned that they will lose their jobs as a result of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance Safety Accountability regulatory program, according to a report released last month.
The American Transportation Research Institute’s CSA Driver Survey Report details the extent to which CSA has exerted an influence on the daily lives of commercial drivers. ATRI’s report also describes and analyzes driver attitudes toward and comprehension of CSA based on survey data collected from 4,555 U.S. truck drivers.
While findings reveal that truck drivers continue to have myriad concerns related to CSA, ATRI discovered that drivers may not have a solid understanding of what CSA is and does. The report also offers recommendations for enhancing driver knowledge and support through multiple training and education sessions, as well as other sources of familiarization.
“ATRI’s study clearly points out that motor carriers, state trucking associations and FMCSA collectively need to do more to educate drivers about CSA and what it does and doesn’t mean for their jobs,” said Ed Crowell, Georgia Motor Trucking Association president and chief executive officer.
ATRI currently has a similar motor carrier survey under way.
Driver pay to keep climbing, analyst predicts
Over the next 12 months, company driver pay will rise 3 to 5 cents a mile and owner-operator pay 4 to 6 cents a mile as carriers compete for a diminished supply of quality candidates, a forecast pay specialist predicted last month. The lower end of those ranges will occur even if the national economy continues in the doldrums, while the higher numbers will be achieved if manufacturing improves, said Gordon Klemp, president of the National Transportation Institute.
Klemp said sign-on bonuses, which have re-emerged in the past couple years, will continue, and he also predicted increased use of productivity pay programs. Based on a second-quarter survey of 350 carriers, Klemp offered the following observations:
• The quality of available driver candidates is “marginal at best”;
• Driver supply and demand is out of balance; and
• Wages have moved up in the last year and should go higher.
The pool of qualified drivers is being reduced by factors such as the underground economy, part-time jobs and regulatory hurdles such as Compliance Safety Accountability and potential hours-of-service changes.
