TRB Committee on Trucking Industry Research (AT060)Skip Navigation

Annual Meeting Minutes

Date: January 13, 2004, Tuesday
Time: 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Place: Calvert Room, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C.

Attendance

  • Members
    • Michael Belzer, Chair, Wayne State University
    • Brenda Lantz, Secretary, North Dakota State University
    • Elaine King, TRB Staff
    • Lee Husting, National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health
    • Alan Clayton, University of Manitoba
    • John Siebert, OOIDA Foundation, Inc.
    • Tina Casgar, US DOT Office of Intermodalism
    • Stephen Campbell, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
    • Pete Swan, Pennsylvania State University
    • Robert Clarke, Truck Manufacturers Association
  • Friends
    • Ian Savage, Northwestern University
    • Tom Weakley, OOIDA Foundation, Inc.
    • Gene Bergoffen, MaineWay Services
    • Ron Knipling, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
    • Monica Edwards, Norfolk Southern Corp.
    • Don Osterberg, Schneider National, Inc.
    • Jolanda Prozzi, University of Texas at Austin
    • Roger Clarke, Alberta Transportation
    • Tim Eaton, National Transport Commission
    • Paul Tamburelli, XTRA Corporation
    • Ron Hughes, Highway Safety Research Center
    • John MacGowan, Consultant, Retired, FHWA and FMCSA
    • Russ Capelle, Bureau of Transportation Statistics
    • Akiko Nakata, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
    • Katie Wahl, American Transportation Research Institute
    • Daniel Bearth, Transport Topics
  1. Agenda Distributed
  2. Approval of the Minutes from Midyear Meeting
  3. Discussion of Membership
    1. ACTION: E-mail any suggestions for members to Mike.
  4. Discussion of the Task Force Mission

    "The mission of the task force is to develop a truck transportation research agenda, drawing upon the combined resources of existing TRB committees, and to look for new ways for TRB to engage the trucking industry through an inclusive forum of the appropriate stakeholders."
    1. Need to create an activity to attract industry to TRB.
    2. Need a plan to fulfill the task force charge by 2005.
  5. Open Discussion of Current Research
    1. Mike B. discussed the Truck Driver Occupational Health and Safety Conference held in Detroit this past April, 2003. There will be a NIOSH report made available soon from this meeting. There is interest in a possible health and safety research program focusing on truck drivers.
      • ACTION: Lee Husting will provide a web site link for more information.
    2. Bob Clarke discussed the topic of energy emissions and safety, and how related agencies are aligning their efforts.
      • ACTION: Bob will provide a web site link for more information.
    3. Paul Tamburelli discussed the Truck and Bus Safety Conference tentatively scheduled for late spring, 2005 in the DC area. It is anticipated that several task force members will be invited to participate in the planning for this conference.
    4. John Siebert discussed the mortality study of owner-operators, and how the average age at death is significantly lower than the national average.
    5. Ron Knipling discussed the TRB synthesis study on Effective Carrier Safety Management Techniques.
      • ACTION: A copy of this will be posted to the task force web site.
    6. Alan Clayton discussed the 5th Manitoba Truck Safety conference, which had 95 attendees. They sponsor a scholarship for students, and are seeing a lot of graduate student participate.
    7. Pete Swan discussed the research he conducted with Mike B. and Tina Casgar regarding border capacity issues between Detroit and Windsor over the Ambassador Bridge. They estimate that the capacity will hit maximum in the next five years. Current delays average about a half-hour and often produce much longer days and lines extending for miles into both the U.S. and Canada (with the worst backups in Ontario), with resulting productivity loss and negative macroeconomic impact.
      • ACTION: Pete will provide a web site link for more information.
    8. Don Osterberg discussed the recent hours-of-service regulation change and its impact on driving supply chain efficiencies. He stated that we simply cannot continue to impose non-productive time on drivers without pay. There is a need to educate other members of the supply chain, and how do we do that?
      • Mike B. agreed that things have got to change.
      • Paul Tamburelli mentioned that there has been even more time spent recently at ports and rail ramps at the borders, and there is a sense of urgency that there is a need for a dramatic change.
      • Mike B. stated that driver turnover has accelerated due to a convergence of issues, but believes that the hours-of-service change has exacerbated the problem.
      • Don Osterberg agreed, citing a recent Transport Topics article that turnover is at a historic high of 119%, and stated that more discipline is needed from carriers both in the use of intermodal opportunities, and in the choice of feight to carry.
      • Mike B. mentioned Pete Swan's Committee on Freight Transportation Economics and Regulation, and that they have discussed an evaluation of the hours-of-service rule change and its effect on productivity.
      • Katie Wahl and Brenda Lantz mentioned that there is already a research study design in place for a study that the American Transportation Research Institute intends to do to examine the hours-of-service change effect on safety.
      • Mike B. stated that this topic may make a good presentation for TRB next year, perhaps co-sponsored with the Truck and Bus Safety Committee. There is a need to educate the supply chain as well as a company's own drivers (that the only way to make more money is not necessarily to work more hours, but to earn more money for the time already worked).
      • Pete Swan concurred stating that there is a need to make the industry pay drivers what they are worth.
      • Russ Capelle cited a Transport Topics article that stated productivity has declined4% to 9%.
      • Don Osterberg agreed stating that Schneider has found that the grocery sector has experienced a decline of about 15%. Given the cash-flow analysis, and that "well-run drivers break even," there are serious questions regarding the long-term viability of independent contractors.
    9. Alan Clayton discussed the high quality of the freight-related sessions at TRB this year, the high level of industry participation in these sessions, and that the rooms were packed.
    10. Pete Swan mentioned the issue of capacity expansion with regards to infrastructure, and the research question of there not being enough money to create the capacity to meet the future demand. He states that users are not paying the full costs of the resources they are using. This issue will be taken up at AASHTO.
  6. Plans for 2004 mid-year meeting, 2005 TRB Meeting, and possible outreach efforts to industry
    1. Mike B. asked the question of how to move the task force agenda forward, and how to get TRB out to the community?
    2. Elaine King discussed the reorganization of the TRB committee structure into 11 groups. This task force is part of the Freight Systems Group. There are many public agencies involved with this group, and the issues are critical to the economy. The number one issue is congestion and capacity, and the sessions organized for this issue are very successful. Tina Casgar said that the Freight Systems Group is also working on a freight research agenda.
    3. 2005 TRB Annual Meeting: Tina Casgar mentioned the distinguished lectureship as a possible venue for a freight topic that could be sponsored by the Freight Systems Group. The Technical Activities Council has selected the three main topics for next year to be safety, seamless transportation, and the "customer" perspective. Tina also suggested that "food terminals and transportation" might be a relevant topic for the TF to work on with the committee on Agricultural Transportation. Don Osterberg mentioned full-truck thefts as a hot issue for the industry.
    4. 2004 Midyear Meeting Options: Mike B. asked the question if the task force should plan on having their mid-year meeting at the same time in Utah in July, but wondered if it would be difficult to bring in industry. He stated another option of hosting a meeting in conjunction with the International Truck Show in Anaheim, CA in September, and also soliciting papers for the meeting for publication in an academic journal (perhaps with co-authorship between industry and academia).
      • Another idea was to host the meeting in conjunction with the Louisville Truck Show.
      • Pete Swan stated that it made sense to find a setting to include industry, but should still send some people to the summer freight meeting in Utah in July to coordinate internally.
      • Elaine King said that one-third of the program for the mid-year meeting in Utah will be freight-related topics.
      • Alan Clayton voiced that the summer meeting in Utah is the best option.
      • Mike B. reiterated his concern with how to involve industry, in addition to public agencies. Perhaps send a task force steering committee to both Utah and to a truck show.
      • Ian Savage suggested the CLM meeting as an option.
      • Paul Tamburelli suggested the TCA conference as an option (June in Hawaii).
      • ACTION: Paul T. and Don O. will check with TCA.
      • CONSENSUS: It seemed that the consensus was that the Task Force should participate in the freight meeting in Utah. If it is possible to schedule a meeting in conjunction with the TCA meeting, we will consider that option. Belzer will communicate with the group to get the sense of the group once options are known (e.g. how many people will attend?).
    5. Discussion of steering committee.
      • Alan Clayton, Tina Casgar, Pete Swan, John Seibert, and Paul Tamburelli volunteered for the committee.
      • ACTION: Mike B. will be participating in the International Truck Show in Anaheim, focusing on safety best practices benchmarking and certification. When details are available he will review this with the steering committee. If other members wish to participate, we can make this a TRB Task Force outreach activity as well.
      • ACTION: Steering committee will be convened by Mike B. by telecom once the full range of options is clear.
    6. New Developments.
      • Mike B. discussed the Industrial Relations Research Association Sloan Foundation Grant for Tripartite Industry Councils.
      • ACTION: Talk with Mike if you are interested.
    7. Discussion of issues of interest to the industry.
      • Productivity, efficiency, and safety are the main concerns. Make relevant to public agencies, and bring in industry as well.
      • Performance measures / metrics are important.
      • Shipper / carrier relationship.
      • Truck parking issue - both private and public.
      • Full-load theft issue.
      • Security issues.
      • Port and terminal issues.
      • Congestion issues.
      • Driver utilization and productivity
      • Driver turnover
  7. Meeting Adjourned
Required Plug-ins

Transportation Research Board
Committee on Trucking Industry Research (AT060)