As we have been reporting lately, now is a good time to be a truck driver. With base pay, bonuses, incentives, and benefits on the rise across fleets both large and small, it is a heady time in the trucking industry. Of course, if you are trying to run a fleet today, never mind trying to figure out how to run one 5 or 10 years down the road, growing with the rapid change can seem daunting.
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Most fleets are in a position of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
None of these are easy by themselves. Yet, there is so much\nmore to keep track of. Fleet managers are inundated with buzzwords like\ndisruption, autonomous, electric, telematics, hyperloops, blockchain,\nalternative fuels, ecommerce, the Internet of Things, and so much more. How\ndoes one keep up with it all?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, you should not be overwhelmed because all of\nthese portend good tidings for the industry that we all know and love. This is\na good time to work in fleet management or be a truck driver. Companies need\ntrucking companies more\nthan ever<\/a>, which means good news for those making a living in this\nindustry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Future Looks\nBright<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The fact is, if you work in the trucking industry, the\nfuture looks very bright indeed. Trucking continues to be a critical component\nof the North American economy, as it has been for nearly a century. Today, that\nparadigm is as truer as ever. As the rise of an internet-powered, global\nsuper-economy takes shape, trucking has become indispensable. Imagine where\necommerce would be without trucking. Nowhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While it is inevitable that there will be changes within the\nindustry (there always is), trucking as a solid career choice is not going\nanywhere. Trucking will only grow in terms of importance and become even more\nvital to the economy than it is today. It is important to consider that the\ntrucking industry was pretty much left to its own devices for nearly 50 years.\nNow, all that is changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The future of trucking will be shaped by innovators who push\nthe technological envelope. While it may be a bit much to take in, the trucking\nindustry is on the cusp of big changes. Fleet managers and decision makers will\nbe required to adjust their strategy, learn new processes and adjust to a\nchanging paradigm. The change will only accelerate at an exponential rate\nmoving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What does this mean for fleets and enterprising\nowner-operators? That there is a lot of money on the table ready for the\ntaking. Provided you can embrace change and figure out how to best implement\nnew technology, you can be at the forefront of a revolution in trucking and\nclaim a size of the pie for yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Trucks Drive Change<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider this: Big rigs have never been more comfortable and\nefficient than they are today. Need proof? Simply climb into the cab of a new\nClass 8 commercial motor vehicle and compare it to the trucks of 10 to 20 years\nago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, even the most basic spec is loaded with new\ntechnologies and creature comforts that wouldn\u2019t have been thinkable even on\nluxury cars pre-21st<\/sup> Century. Even better, trucks today are designed\nspecifically with the truck driver in mind and go a long way in helping fleets\nclaim better efficiency and improve their bottom line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For motor carriers willing to invest the time and effort in\nfocusing on aerodynamics and fuel economy, semi-trucks are cash cows. Ten years\nago, a truck that claimed 6 mpg fuel economy was considered a standout. Today,\nfleets maximizing fuel efficiency have nearly doubled that number. Even 9 mpg\nhas become something that few consider maximum fuel efficiency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Within this new trucking landscape, fleets have the tools\nthey need to move freight quickly and profitably. All they need to do is put in\nthe up-front leg work where specs are concerned. And with electric trucks and\nadvanced fuel options becoming more affordable and readily available, there\nwill be even more opportunities for fleets to evolve and save, especially where\nregional-, short-, and urban-haul applications are concerned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even more, big rigs are safer than ever before. Accidents and the lawsuits associated with them have for a long time been a fact of life for fleets, but today, the numbers associated with unfortunate events have been dropping. Integrated and advanced safety systems and real-time truck driver coaching has been cutting into costs associated with unsafe vehicles and vehicle operation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n While liabilities may be considered an unavoidable cost of doing business, motor carriers are more empowered than ever before in addressing them. In terms of accidents avoided or reducing legal costs when an accident occurs, advances in safety and engineering have been real game-changers. These systems are making their presence felt in fleets nationwide and every indication points to them only getting better at keeping truck drivers safe and lowering overall costs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Real-Time\nCommunication<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to increasing productivity, real-time\ncommunication is another game-changer and productivity enabler. The fact is,\ncommunication has typically been a stumbling block for fleets. Consider that it\nwas not too long ago that a truck driver needed to pull off the road and find a\npayphone to find out where his route would take him next. When the truck driver\nhung up that payphone, it might be days before anyone connected to that cargo\nheard from him or her or knew where the truck was. That seems like a million\nyears ago now, does it not?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Real-time communication has quite literally flipped the\nscript on how a truck driver gets the job done. When it comes to real-time\ncommunication, even trucks and the freight that they carry are getting in on\nthe game. Whether you are talking about blockchain technologies or\nself-diagnosing components, these are simply ways to expand the communication\ncapabilities of fleet operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shippers, fleets, and receivers have now reached a point\nwhere they know down to the mile marker and minute where the truck and its haul\nare. Priority-driven data, linked through a cell or satellite connection, is\nenabling tracking in a way that was previously unthinkable. The freight itself\ncan now update the truck driver\u2019s time automatically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The same is true for maintenance. Today\u2019s trucks can\nself-diagnose themselves to a degree that would have been considered science\nfiction just a few decades ago. If a fuel pump only has a couple more thousand\nmiles of life left on it, no problem, it will likely send an alert code to the\nshop letting them know just that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These changes have already taken a lot of uncertainty out of\nfleet operations, and while this is a lot to take in, it is all good news.\nFleet operations have become much more dynamic, flexible, and highly-engaged\nthan they ever were before. These systems and processes are now totally focused\non delivering freight as quickly, safely, and efficiently as possible. Yet, while\ntoday is great for trucking companies, it is also a great time to be a fleet\nmanager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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