A lot of things have been going on in the transportation industry lately, so let's take some time to catch up with a look at some of the more interesting news and latest reports that have come out:
- Infrastructure Week in Washington, D.C. has concluded and the biggest topic was, of course, the administration's pending national infrastructure plan. The main takeaway appeared to be a lot of doubts about whether this proposal will get the attention it deserves, considering that healthcare and tax reforms seem to be taking precedence. There are still large concerns about funding this massive undertaking and lots of wariness over P3s (public-private partnerships) potentially neglecting to serve rural areas. We can all agree that this can has been kicked down the road for way too long. Keep your eyes peeled for a proposal soon(?)... http://www.routefifty.com/infrastructure/2017/05/trump-chao-infrastructure-plan/138025/
- Going hand in hand with infrastructure concerns is the latest report from the American Transportation Research Institute regarding the financial impacts of congestion on the trucking industry. This report studied congestion costs for 2015 using GPS data and info from the Federal Highway Administration and concluded that the "trucking industry experienced more than 996 million hours of delays in 2015, which is equivalent to 362,243 truck drivers sitting idle for an entire working year." YIKES! http://www.ccjdigital.com/congestion-cost-trucking-63-4-billion-in-lost-productivity-in-2015/
- Uber Freight launched last week after many months of rumors and speculation over what they were going to focus on. As it stands, they are currently moving freight primarily out of Texas with the intent to expand to a national network of shipments and they are NOT using automated trucks at this time. It is purely an app that matches trucks with loads at this time, which is something that already exists in companies like DAT. We are all curious to see how Uber Freight will deal with the complexities that are intrinsic to freight movement. http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/fleet-management/news/story/2017/05/uber-launches-uber-freight.aspx
- A recent New York Times article interviewed long haul truck drivers in Effingham, IL about topics ranging from self-driving trucks to what they would like people to know about their jobs. It's an eye-opening look into the world of the 1.7 million people who are the backbone of the transportation industry. https://nyti.ms/2qLRQjP