SHIPPERS: HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CSA REGULATIONS?
TRUCKERS: WHAT LEGISLATIVE MEASURES HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOUR BUSINESS?
10%
Should be suspended permanently
79% 46% 21% 10% 7%
Infrastructure
55%
35%
Have had no cost or service impact on operations
Energy policy
Have had a noticeable cost or service impact on operations
Healthcare
Highway Trust Fund
Slightly more than half of shippers in our survey say that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, and Accountability Act (CSA) has not made any impact on the cost of their operations or on the transportation services their carriers provide. Thirty-five percent say these regulations have aected their costs, or the services they receive, in a perceptible way. One-tenth of respondents say the FMCSA should get rid of the CSA program.
Vehicle weight
Trucks can’t provide reliable service without well- maintained roads, bridges, and other transportation facilities. That makes laws that fund and govern public infrastructure especially important to motor carriers. This year, 79% of trucking respondents say that infrastructure legislation makes a significant impact on their business. In 2022, that number was 68%. In an era of high fuel prices, ongoing developments in the electric vehicle market, and hot debates about fossil fuels vs. renewables, many trucking executives also keep a keen eye on energy policy. This year, 46% of trucking respondents tell us that legislation in that area makes a big impact on their business, compared with 39% last year. Trucking respondents are somewhat less concerned than last year about legislation in three other categories: healthcare (21% in 2023 vs. 26% in 2022), the Highway Trust Fund (10% in 2023 vs. 15% in 2022), and vehicle weight (7% in 2023 vs. 13% in 2022).
SHIPPERS: HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT HOURS-OF-SERVICE REGULATIONS?
10%
Should be suspended permanently
48%
42%
Have had a noticeable cost or service impact on operations
Have had no cost or service impact on operations
While more than half of shippers report they feel no ill eects from the aforementioned CSA program, nearly that many—48%—say that federal regulations governing drivers’ work hours aect their costs or the services they receive. Another 10% are so bothered by this program that they say the government should suspend it permanently. Another 42% say hours-of- service regulations have no impact on their service or operations.
SHIPPERS: HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED RATE HIKES APART FROM FUEL SURCHARGES?
SHIPPERS: HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED A SHORTAGE OF TRUCK CAPACITY?
26%
No
74%
Yes
Yes
47%
53%
Although freight rates are generally lower this year than last, many shippers who participated in our survey are still paying motor carriers more than they would like. Nearly three-quarters of respondents say they have experienced rate hikes apart from fuel charges. That’s a smaller proportion than the 85% who reported getting hit with increases last year, but it’s still a significant number.
No
There’s a good deal more capacity available today than in the past couple of years. Only 47% of shippers say they have experienced a capacity shortage this year, compared with 60% in 2022 and 70% in 2021.
48 Inbound Logistics • September 2023
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