Last week, Jeremy Reymer, DriverReach’s Founder and CEO, attended the American Transportation Research Institute’s Research Advisory Committee (RAC) meeting, which was held in Atlanta on March 10th-11th. Jeremy was appointed to the advisory committee in 2018.
Among other activities, ATRI’s RAC is responsible for annually identifying the top research priorities for the trucking industry. RAC members represent a diverse cross-section of trucking industry stakeholders including motor carriers, industry suppliers, commercial drivers, shippers, law enforcement, academia, and government.
During the meeting, while 40+ relevant industry topics were being discussed and debated, there was a growing concern around the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) that was unfolding right before us. A renewed perspective was recognized as the RAC discussed how the trucking industry – and the economy as a whole – will be impacted for weeks and months to come. According to HBR, the global supply chain could be impacted as early as the time we post this article (mid-March). We are already seeing this prediction transpire into reality in near real-time.
While the COVID-19 topic is certainly not one to push to the side, ATRI’s RAC committee settled on five topics, subject to ATRI Board approval, to prioritize for research. Each year, ATRI’s survey of top industry challenges is released, and RAC members serve a critical role in developing and prioritizing research proposals that address the trucking industry’s top challenges. Some of the top critical issues facing the trucking industry include:
- The driver shortage
- The Hours of Service rule
- Driver compensation
- Driver detention
- Lack of truck parking
- Driver retention
- The ELD mandate
- Government-mandated compliance regulations
- Infrastructure and congestion
- The U.S. economy
The ATRI RAC committee is not permitted to share the outcomes of these conversations just yet, however, we will release information about the critical issues and how they are progressing as soon as the ATRI Board convenes in April. In the meantime, the trucking industry should rest assured that many of the brightest and best minds are working diligently to address these challenges and many others to bring solutions to the trucking industry.
“As an ATRI RAC member, I do not take my responsibility to the trucking industry lightly,” commented Jeremy Reymer, Founder and CEO of DriverReach. “Our meeting in Atlanta was very productive and informative, and amidst this challenging COVID-19 environment, we will continue to advocate and work to change our industry for the better. It is absolutely my pleasure to serve alongside so many incredible individuals.”
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