Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024:
FMCSA planning study on sexual assault, harassment among drivers
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is planning to undertake a study to understand and quantify the prevalence and severity of sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) experienced across the commercial motor vehicle (CMV) industry, particularly among drivers.
The agency said it is seeking information on how best to design and conduct a study to identify, categorize and assess context and trends of SASH in the CMV industry.
FMCSA is particularly interested in how to support women currently in these jobs and those seeking to enter the CMV industry. The request for information (RFI) seeks feedback on how best to approach the study holistically in terms of statistical sampling, study design, and administering the appropriate data collection efforts.
For example, FMCSA seeks information on how best to treat categories of gender, sexual orientation and ethnicity in the study, as well as best practices in designing questions that use the latest standards for SASH research and address the breadth and lifecycles of careers in the CMV industry.
This study builds on recommendations from FMCSA’s Women of Trucking Advisory Board (WOTAB) to better understand problems of SASH among drivers, thereby helping identify possible countermeasures.
FMCSA will use the results of the study to understand any potential regulatory or policy measures needed to improve driver safety and mitigate SASH; work with industry partners on outreach and other efforts to improve driver safety through SASH prevention; and support the participation of women in the CMV industry.
The agency is asking for comments on 10 specific questions in its RFI, which can be seen in the Federal Register docket here. The comment period will be open for 30 days beginning Thursday, Feb. 8. Comments can be filed here through March 11.
[Related: FMCSA's Women of Trucking Advisory Board has a lot to offer men]
C.H. Robinson launches new ‘touchless appointments’ tech
Global logistics company C.H. Robinson announced Wednesday it has developed new technology that creates a major efficiency in freight shipping: removing the work of scheduling an appointment at a load pick-up location and scheduling another appointment where the load needs to be delivered.
Across the U.S. trucking industry, more than 1 billion of these appointments are made each year, commonly through phone calls and emails, the company said.
With touchless appointments, the entire process is automated and can be done 24/7 with no manual intervention. The technology also uses artificial intelligence to determine the optimal appointment – based on transit-time data from C.H. Robinson’s millions of shipments across 300,000 shipping lanes, facility data such as peak dwell time, and the most convenient time windows for carriers.
When C.H. Robinson first approached the issue, the company’s research showed that 74% of shippers wanted greater automation in their supply chains. In a 2024 C.H. Robinson customer survey, shippers indicate that more-efficient appointment scheduling is their second-biggest tech priority for supply chains this year.
“Achieving touchless appointments is a big step forward for automating supply chains,” said Michael Castagnetto, C.H. Robinson’s President of North American Surface Transportation. “It’s far more efficient for technology to find an appointment slot that’s open, that works for both the loading dock and the carrier, and gets the freight where it needs to be on time. Touchless appointments liberate shippers and their receivers from that work, and because we have the largest dataset in the industry, our system is choosing a smarter appointment than our competitors can.”
C.H. Robinson, which moves more truckload freight than anyone in North America, is doing touchless appointments for 2,545 customers so far at more than 25,000 facilities. Retailers and food companies are among the biggest beneficiaries, the company noted.
“The trucking industry has been hungry to digitize everything from load-matching to booking to real-time visibility while freight is in transit,” said Arun Rajan, a technology pioneer who first joined C.H. Robinson as Chief Product Officer and is now Chief Operating Officer. “Giving people better digital tools to use is great progress; actually automating the complex processes of logistics is another frontier. That’s why automation has largely not yet reached appointment scheduling. It’s a big focus for us – in terms of driving efficiencies in our customers’ operations and our own – and we’re proud to be paving the way for the industry.”
Averitt names new safety director
Averitt (CCJ Top 250, No. 22) recently announced that Jason Bolton has been promoted to Director of Safety & Compliance.
Jason Bolton
“For more than 35 years, John has been a key member of our team,” said Averitt President and Chief Operating Officer Barry Blakely. “He has played an integral role in developing our culture of safety and helping our driving force become one of the safest fleets in the industry. His contributions will be missed, and we wish him all the best.”
Bolton, meanwhile, is a 33-year team member and brings a wealth of experience to his new role. He came to Averitt as a driver before moving into leadership and spending 20 years with Averitt’s safety team.
“Jason has worked side-by-side with John over two decades to put our drivers in position to succeed when it comes to safety and compliance,” Blakely said. “His knowledge and experience as a driver and in leadership make him an outstanding person to move us forward, and we congratulate Jason on his promotion.”
