More than 8,000 members from 67 countries rely on CSCMP (the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals) to help them remain connected to the best of the best — experts, technology, knowledge — in the vast and complex world of global supply chain and logistics. From Oct. 2-5 in Philadelphia, CSCMP will hold the organization’s marquee event, The Annual Global Conference.

During this year’s four-day event, attendees will gain cutting-edge knowledge about streamlining operations, reducing inefficiencies and leveraging new ways to build supply chains that reduce costs and increase profitability. To this end, I highly recommend two compelling Mega Sessions^* at CSCMP, both of which highlight critical issues that continue to face supply chain practitioners and challenge the industry as a whole— capacity and safety. The sessions are designed to help practitioners walk away with a greater understanding of the issues and, more importantly, the tools necessary to bring about change.

“The Capacity Crisis” Mega Session will be moderated by James H. Burnley IV, partner, Venable, LLC and former U.S. Secretary of Transportation. During his session, Mr. Burnley will provide attendees with a greater understanding of the causes, timing, and potential solutions to what could be the worst capacity shortage in history. He will also discuss the role of supply, demand and public policy decisions as they relate to supply chain economics and transportation budgets. Panelists joining Mr. Burnley include David D. Congdon, president and chief executive, Old Dominion Freight Lines; Noel Perry, managing director and senior consultant, FTR Associates; Bob Poole, Searle Freedom Trust transportation fellow and director of transportation policy, The Reason Foundation; and Mark Whittaker, vice president of PepsiCo Transportation.

Anne Ferro, administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), is also hosting a Mega Session — “Commercial Vehicle Safety for the Long Haul—Impacts and Benefits to the Freight Logistics Supply Chain.” She will discuss the impact that raising the bar for commercial vehicle safety will have on shippers, receivers, brokers and freight forwarders. The goal will be to provide these “upstream” players with ways they can use the information to shape their own impact on commercial motor vehicle safety in the supply chain.

^*Mega Sessions will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 5 from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Just when you thought FMCSA could finally begin the process of putting together a final ruling on the proposed changes to truck drivers’ hours-of-service (HOS) rules, the Administration announced that it is reopening the comment period yet again. The reason they’re doing this so late in the game? Four newly discovered fatigue studies — research that largely points to a correlation between increased driving time with increased safety risks.

I know I speak for many in the trucking industry when I say that I believe these new findings, if history repeats itself, will simply provide four more opportunities to misconstrue the facts surrounding the relationship between drive time, driver fatigue and safety.

The issue at hand — the one that is hotly debated and mired in conflicting data — is whether drivers, and thus the motoring public, are safe. The answer to that question is unequivocally, yes. In fact, in 2009 the trucking industry enjoyed its safest year on record since 1975. That means we experienced our best year in more than three decades, including four years with the current 11-hour drive time in place. What matters, and what our commitment to safety has yielded, is a dramatically decreased truck-involved fatality rate. In early April, the Federal Highway Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that this rate decreased by 14.1 percent between 2008 and 2009, alone. This speaks to our resolve to keep our drivers and the motoring public safe — through programs, training and the establishment of corporate cultures built on safety — without sacrificing what we need as a country to keep our economy moving.

With just weeks to go until the final ruling must be made on July 26, we remain vigilant in our stance that the current rule is not broken and should not be changed. And though we now have more information to digest in less time, we will do so thoroughly and with the expectation that the true facts will rise to the surface of this debate and put it to rest.

This blog post by National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Debbie Hersman, originally appeared in  "NTSB Safety Compass" on April 6th.

Last week, I had the opportunity to get a glimpse into what life is like for the professional truck drivers who drive the heavy trucks on our nation’s highways to deliver the goods — and who contribute to our economy and to our quality of life.

I learned a lot from my five teachers — Stephanie Klang, Jill Garcia, Clarence Jenkins, Angela Jordan, and Jo Carty — who safely drove me from Washington, DC, to Louisville, KY, so I could attend the Mid America Trucking Show and attend Women in Trucking’s (WIT) Salute to Women Behind the Wheel. As I told the professional women drivers at that event, I have a CDL (commercial driver’s license), but I think my biggest contribution to safety is not to drive a commercial vehicle. I leave that up to the professional drivers.

I was impressed by every driver’s commitment to safety and by their ability to handle big rigs in good weather and bad . We had all types of weather on our 632 miles, including snow, sleet, and fog! After last week’s trip, I feel safer driving on the road next to big rigs. I was also pleased with the discussions we had about the issues that the NTSB addresses in its investigations and recommendations, such as hours of service, fatigue, and government oversight.

For example, when I talked with Stephanie about the challenges of complying with hours of service, she said the rules are there to protect you. Even when they’re not in your favor, you have to respect them.

As for respect, I gained a lot more respect for these professional drivers behind the wheel and I want them to know that I will keep an eye out for them whenever I’m out on the interstate.

Here’s a link to the talk I gave at Women in Trucking’s Salute to Women Behind the Wheel on April 2.

This blog post by National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Debbie Hersman, originally appeared in  "NTSB Safety Compass" on March 31st.

Late on Wednesday, I hit the road on a two-day, four-state journey from Washington, D.C. My final destination is Louisville, Kentucky, and the 2011 Mid-America Trucking Show, the world’s largest forum for the heavy trucking industry. On Saturday, I’ll have the honor of speaking with about 1,200 of America’s professional women truck drivers at the second annual Women in Trucking (WIT) “Salute to Women Behind the Wheel.” More on that in a moment.

But for now, let me tell you a bit about my journey to get there. I’ve covered some 460 of my 632 mile road trip so far. You might be asking yourself, “Why not just fly to Louisville?” Well, quite simply, it is hard to know what it is really like to be on the road from a federal office building in Washington. When Ellen Voie of WIT offered me the opportunity to “ride” to Kentucky, I jumped at the chance.

There is no better way to get a feel for the issues facing the industry than spend time in the cab with professional truck drivers. Besides, is there any better way to travel to the nation’s largest trucking show than to experience the ride, technology and accommodations in 5 different heavy trucks?

I’ve learned a lot since leaving NTSB headquarters last evening. I have listened to the drivers and they each have a different perspective and have impressed me with their knowledge and professionalism.

Let me start by telling you about my first leg of the trip. I spent the first 150 miles with Stephanie Klang, a driver from Con-way. As we made our way out of the dark and grey city, passing monuments and cherry blossoms, Stephanie remained focused on one thing — safety. In fact, that’s the common thread that I am seeing on this trip. So far it’s been five different and diverse drivers from all over the country — all with one thing in mind — getting to their destination safely, delivering their load, doing it again and again to support their families. Stephanie carefully maneuvered through Washington’s rush-hour hour traffic and calmly faced rain, snow, and, worse yet, sleet in the dark. The entire time, her eyes were on the road. Did I mention that Stephanie has 2.74 million safe miles in her logbook?

When I speak at WIT’s “Salute to Women” event on Saturday, I’ll be saluting Stephanie Klang, Jill Garcia, Angela Jordan, Jo Carty and hundreds of other women who drive safely, every day, on our nation’s highways — delivering the goods to the rest of us.

Got to go and get back on the road again, but I will share more of my experiences soon.

Over and out (for now).

If I had a dollar for every time my mother asked me while growing up, “I know that you hear me, but are you listening?” I’d be writing this blog from a small beachfront home somewhere in the Caribbean. But instead, here I sit at my desk on a cold, snowy, Midwestern afternoon and ask the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) the same question my mother asked over and over, “Are you listening?”

Last week, FMCSA held a Listening Session outside of Washington D.C. to hear the voice of the industry and the public regarding the Administration’s latest proposed changes to drivers’ hours-of-service rules. They called it a listening session. One hopes that they are not confusing the term hearing with listening.

I attended the session. I also made public comments as did a Con-way Freight driver and dozens of others. I know that the Administration heard me. I just wonder if they were listening, not just to me, but to all of the others from across the country who commented that day. The message was loud, clear and consistent: There is no good reason to change the current rules.

The first comments of the day were submitted by American Trucking Associations (ATA). Dave Osiecki, head of policy and regulatory affairs for ATA set the tone when stating that FMCSA “is being pressured by forces external to the Administration to yet again do something on this issue.”

In its effort to respond to these pressures — which stem from a lawsuit filed by a single party challenging the Administration’s current rules — the Administration has proposed potential rule changes that will negatively affect our industry, our employees and, ultimately, every consumer that relies on trucks to deliver their goods and services.

There were a few recurring themes throughout the day:

• Safety rules must be based on sound science and research. Over the years, there have been many studies that contain quality data and analysis that the Administration cannot ignore. Such studies must be considered, especially if the benefits outweigh the costs. These are principles clearly communicated in President Obama’s recent Executive Order aimed at improving regulation and regulatory review.

• FMCSA’s main mission is to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses. Under the current hours-of-service rules, the number of truck-involved traffic fatalities declined 20 percent in 2009 to the lowest number recorded by the Department of Transportation in history. The current reduction also marks the fourth straight annual decline and a 33 percent drop since the new hours-of-service rules first went into effect in 2004.

• The Administration grossly underestimated the economic impact the proposed rule changes would have on the industry, employees and the general public.

• Drivers’ hours-of-service rules address time on task. Hours-of-service rules can never effectively manage time off task and personal time. If the Administration wants to address driver fatigue, they should do so in a separate rulemaking.

• Contrary to intuition, data from actual driver performance shows most commercial motor vehicle crashes occur early in a driver’s shift and crash rates decrease as hours worked increase.

• For many companies, a rules change that drops the available driving hours from 11 to 10 would require network restructuring changes necessitating uprooting operating locations and its employees that would cost millions and upset personal lives.

• Fewer hours available to drivers and carriers means more trucks on the road, more traffic congestion, increased safety risks and more fuel usage and emissions.

As I sat and listened that day, I heard only one entity that supported the rule change proposal — the coalition that has sued the Administration.

My mother would have been proud of me. I was listening. I sure hope the Administration was listening as well.

Anne Ferro, administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, recently addressed members of the National Industrial Transportation League about an issue that’s become all too common industrywide – driver detention at the docks.

Ferro reminded those shippers and receivers in attendance that driver safety and that of the motoring public will remain at risk as long as drivers feel pressure to reclaim lost income from hours they have to sit at the dock waiting for customers to load or unload their trailers – hours that do not earn them an income.

The issue of safety alone should be enough to get the industry motivated to demand a change to this wasteful practice, yet driver detention continues to be a problem ignored. Shippers are in a position to make driver detention a thing of the past and create a win-win for all of us – benefits of which move well beyond safety.

When freight moves without delay, drivers can provide for their families, shippers benefit from improved service and cost-effective rates, and carriers can reduce costs associated with expensive relays and deadhead miles.

Driver detention charges alone are not the solution and hardly cover the true associated costs. Today, there is ongoing discussion about the need to increase productivity in the industry and keep equipment, freight and drivers moving. Though awareness is a good start, the conversation must evolve toward outlining ways that Shippers can work with carriers to minimize, and one day eliminate, driver detention.

“Dwell time” is one of the primary elements of a carrier’s operating cost. It’s a “lost opportunity” cost that’s factored into the systems all carriers use to price freight. Drivers have a finite number of hours of service available to drive, and once their clock starts, it doesn’t stop until they run out of those hours. You no longer can split the sleeper berth as in the past. So, when drivers are burning time at a dock and not receiving any income from it, that’s a huge inefficiency. The driver has to lie down for 10 consecutive hours before he can start his driving time again.

All of this translates to higher costs and, therefore, higher rates for shippers. By detaining drivers at the docks, shippers are increasing not only their own rates but those of all shippers. For every detained driver, there are shippers that aren’t getting served on time and drivers who can’t earn a living. And, with hours-of-service regulations, you simply cannot make up time. It’s gone forever.

Some of the most common reasons for delays at shippers’ docks include lack of manpower to load and offload freight efficiently, poorly maintained equipment and lack of coordination between truck arrival and departure times, resulting in overbooked dock space.

Shippers can turn these problems around in several ways. One is to schedule appointments. Many shippers will give carriers appointment windows of three to four hours. Shippers can work with those times and use them as an opportunity to pre-stage freight and prepare for carrier arrival times in a way that’s organized and methodical. This preparation takes more management on the part of the shipper, but it will dramatically improve dock efficiency.

Successful dock operations require coordination and management of people and equipment, and there is little room for slack in dock procedures and in protocol. If you’ve got forklifts that aren’t operating, it doesn’t matter how many dockworkers are on hand.

It’s important for shippers to survey dock operations, identify weaknesses and rectify the situation – whether repairing equipment or calling in additional help on the dock.

Part of the challenge is that the industry is making a transition from the old warehouse model to using the trailer as a warehouse – that’s important, as smart shippers take cost out of their supply chains and schedule freight delivery very close to the time it’s needed. Years ago, the decision often was to put freight in a warehouse or pre-stage it at another location and then rehandle it. The industry needs to adapt to this change.

Driver detention has tentacles that reach far and wide. It affects the service levels provided to customers all the way down the line, following a delayed stop. It affects driver pay because carriers aren’t generating as much revenue from detention charges as they would if the truck were moving. In turn, it affects driver morale and results in greater competition for drivers as compensation packages are forced to increase.

All of these issues – coupled with greater demand, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance Safety Accountability program requirements and pre-employment screening processes – already are poised to curtail driver capacity. Let us not forget the overarching conundrum of safety at large.

Driver detention charges serve merely as a patch over a much larger issue. It’s time to take responsibility for the problem, gain a more in-depth understanding of what’s really at stake, investigate solutions and take action.

As an industry, we are long overdue for this change.

Based in Joplin, Mo., Con-way Truckload is a subsidiary of Con-way Inc. and a provider of expedited, time-definite, full-truckload transportation services across North America.

With more than 25 years in the trucking industry, Herb Schmidt is a respected leader in his field. He is the former president of the Truckload Carriers Association Safety Council and has served 11 years as the chairman of the Professional Truck Driving Institute of America.

Originally published in Transport Topics on 1/17.

Throughout 2010, while Congress and the transportation industry debated how to improve our transportation infrastructure, data from an important research study was being analyzed to help accelerate progress in another promising area for truck safety — the adoption of advanced “detect, alert and respond” safety technologies for commercial trucks.

Con-way Freight joined with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in a 10-month field test of an integrated suite of crash warning technologies, a study which was completed late last year. The suite was designed to provide drivers with early warning of the three most common causes of commercial truck crashes.

We found the results of the study so compelling, we chose to invest in these technologies for our fleet this year, ahead of any government mandate. We put into service 1,300 new trucks with these technologies installed. For our drivers, it was a worthwhile investment to make them better and help improve their safety and those with whom we share the nation’s highways.

Since then, interest in these technologies has been growing. And we were particularly pleased that John D. Dingell, Michigan’s representative for the 15^th Congressional District, chose to take action and reached out to his colleagues to share the findings of this important study and its potential to improve safety. Rep. Dingell’s support is exactly the type of leadership we need to advance highway safety in meaningful ways. Following is his letter, which was sent this month to members of Congress:

Dear Colleague,

I am writing to you today about an issue I have long been passionate about — transportation infrastructure and the safety of America’s roadways. Every day commercial trucks keep freight and our economy moving, so improving their safety performance positively impacts us all.

To date, we’ve been focusing on the important task of repairing and updating our antiquated interstate highway system. Now, we are learning about new ways to concurrently enhance safety over the roads — through the use of advanced “detect, alert and respond” technologies in commercial trucks.

On Sept. 9, the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and trucking company Con-way Freight announced the positive results of a year-long field test of an integrated system of crash warning technologies for commercial vehicles. The study, which was funded by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office of the U.S. Department of Transportation, revealed significant safety benefits from technologies installed in a number of Con-way Freight’s tractors. They not only helped drivers avoid the most common examples of crashes involving commercial trucks, such as lane departures and rollovers, but also drivers’ awareness of the traffic environment around their vehicles. As a result of these findings, every new Con-way Freight truck will be equipped with these technologies.

As legislators, I believe it’s our duty to learn about — and advocate for — new ways to make our highways safer for truck drivers and the motoring public. Clearly, this was a successful partnership between the public and private sectors, and I hope you share the study findings with your staff. A full copy of the report is available at http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2010/811362.pdf.

With every good wish,

John D. Dingell

Member of Congress

Source: www.businessweek.com

New federal legislation presents a unique opportunity to safely improve the efficiency and sustainability of truck shipments. The Safe and Efficient Transportation Act (SETA), now pending in both the House and Senate, would give states the option to set interstate weight limits of up to 97,000 pounds for trucks equipped with a sixth axle. Without lengthening the truck, the sixth axle maintains braking and handling capabilities, with a slight decrease in the current weight per tire.

SETA is critical to making the shipment of heavy goods more efficient. Many trucks packed with weighty goods hit the 80,000-pound federal weight limit before the truck is fully loaded. That means these trucks leave the loading dock partially empty. Under SETA, however, shippers could safely utilize more space in their rigs — and avoid using more truckloads and fuel than necessary.

As the largest food company in the United States, Kraft Foods supports SETA because it would shrink our carbon footprint without compromising safety. About 40 percent of our trucks currently hit the weight limit with significant space left in the trailer. Under SETA, we could reduce the number of trucks we’re using by about 6 percent. That translates to 60,000 fewer loads and 33 million fewer vehicle miles traveled each year. And we could also eliminate 73,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually.

Further, the U.S. DOT predicts that freight shipped by truck will dramatically increase over the next decade as our economy grows. By boosting the amount of freight each truck can safely carry, SETA will reduce the number of trucks and vehicle miles necessary to meet demand — and therefore make roads safer now and in the future. In fact, based on the findings of a 2009 Wisconsin Department of Transportation study, if a law like the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act had been in place in 2006, it would have prevented 90 truck-related accidents in the state that year.

SETA will no doubt improve safety records for U.S. shippers, lower their environmental profiles and save major companies tens of millions of dollars per year in shipping costs.

Please contact your members of Congress, and help us show them that SETA will make truck shipment safer, greener and more efficient. For more information about SETA and this truck weight reform effort, visit www.transportationproductivity.org.

Kraft Foods makes delicious foods consumers can feel good about in 150 countries around the globe and is a customer of Con-way Inc. Harry Haney also serves as chairman of the Coalition for Transportation Productivity, a group of over 160 shippers and related industry organizations advocating for the passing of SETA.

Every day, thousands of our fellow citizens are deployed serving in the National Guard or Reserves, playing a fundamental role that protects our freedoms, maintains peace, and provides relief services to communities in the United States and around the globe.

It’s a role that will grow as our standing front-line military continues to evolve. Thousands of businesses have been and will continue to be impacted as more reservists are called to duty. It’s a challenge for the employer, who is often faced with having to backfill or replace key employees. We will only see these challenges increase as our country continues to deploy more resources in the global battle against terrorism.

For the Guard and Reserve member, the sacrifice endured when called to duty is significant on many levels. These men and women leave their homes, families, jobs and careers, sometimes with as little as a week’s notice, when their unit is deployed. They put their personal lives on hold in the name of freedom and service to our country — for anywhere from 12 to 24 months. Many are called up for multiple tours of duty.

As if the stress of a combat zone is not enough, some Guard and Reserve members also suffer financial hardships due to their service. This happens when their military pay while on deployment is less than that which they were making in their private industry job. Worse yet, even though federal law mandates that an employer must provide re-employment at a similar level and pay to returning employees, some Guard and Reserve members come back, find their employers have abandoned them, and have to fight to get their job back — a travesty that was brought to light by the TV newsmagazine “60 Minutes.”

These are honorable men and women who put their lives on the line for our freedom and safety. You may have noticed that people with military experience have certain intangible qualities like self-awareness, pride and a sense of purpose. The military instills these qualities in all of its ranks because it makes them good people. By embodying such core values as honor, courage and commitment, men and women build character and confidence, develop strong team skills, and learn to accept responsibility and accountability for personal actions. These are exactly the employee values and life experiences that create and sustain successful businesses.

Our citizen-soldiers should not come home from serving our country only to face yet another battle to get their job back. They deserve our respect and admiration, and our unqualified support. Nothing less is acceptable.

My company, Con-way Freight, recognizes this not only as a responsibility, but a duty.  At any one time we may have as many as 100 employees on active deployment. While on leave for deployment, the families of these service men and women continue to receive company medical benefits. In the case where the deployed-employee’s military pay is less than their Con-way pay, the company makes up the difference. Upon return, these employees have access to resources and counseling under the company’s health plan to help them deal with the stresses of their deployment and reintegrate into society.  And finally, the job they had when they went on deployment is there for them when they come home.

Our Guard and Reserve members and all active-duty military are heroes in every sense of the word; we should not take them for granted. Consider doing something to support our troops. For example, this past holiday season, Con-way employees in several cities participated in a “Santa Claus for Soldiers’ Families” effort, collecting gifts and presenting them to families of deployed Guard and Reserve soldiers who otherwise were not able to afford or manage Christmas on their own. In addition, several times a year, Con-way employees around the United States band together and collect donations of goods into care packages that are sent to the troops.

You can also participate in similar “support our troops” collection drives done by community service organizations. You can encourage your local schools to adopt a solider or a unit, sending supportive cards and letters.  And you can participate in national and local military support groups that reach out regularly to deployed-soldiers’ families and provide basic assistance.

These efforts make a huge difference to our men and women in the military. They are the front line of our freedom. Your kindness and support will be recognized deeply and broadly, confirming to them that their sacrifices and commitment to the defense of our liberties are not only recognized, but respected, honored and revered.

Lt. Col. David L. “Duke“ Ellington (ret.) is a 30-year military veteran who served as a logistics officer in the U.S. Army and the Indiana National Guard. He also served as executive director of the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), Indiana Chapter, a national advocacy organization that facilitates collaboration between employers and all branches of the active military and reserves. He is currently a personnel supervisor for Con-way Freight’s Indianapolis service center and participates actively in the company’s recruiting, hiring, training and support programs for veterans.

A day does not go by in Washington without legislation intended to fix one problem ultimately affecting a host of other issues. It’s the principle of unintended consequences, and a fact of life in our complex world where everything has become so interconnected. Nowhere is this more evident than the transportation industry, which touches our economy, our environment and our infrastructure in virtually innumerable ways. It’s like the lyric from the popular children’s song that says “The knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone ...” Trucking, it seems, is connected to everything.

One example of how one issue can have a ripple effect on many others is truck productivity. The crux of the issue is truck size and weight, a debate that’s been raging for years in Washington and throughout the transportation sector. Recent forecasts estimate that freight volumes will increase nearly 28 percent by 2018, a growth curve that — absent any change in current size and weight restrictions — will require several million more trucks on America’s highways to meet demand. “More jobs, now that’s great!” you might think … until you consider the interconnected, unintended consequences: more traffic congestion and lost productivity. Increased fuel consumption and higher carbon emissions. The effect of more trucks putting more miles on a highway infrastructure already strained to the breaking point. The knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone ...

Many in the industry think the solution is clear: improve truck productivity. And there is a precedent — our counterparts in Europe, Canada and Australia have already done that and are reaping significant benefits. There’s plenty of research to support it. A 2008 American Transportation Research Institute study found that aligning our truck size and weight with the higher international standards would lead to great gains in productivity, as well as reductions in carbon emissions and a better shot at competing effectively in the global marketplace. The American Trucking Associations (ATA) has produced a list of recommendations — including raising the allowable weight of six-axle vehicles to 97,000 pounds and permitting 33-foot trailer combinations in certain states, and expanding the use of triple trailers where it is safe and practical to do so. We hope Congress will seriously consider them. With the projected rise in freight volumes, maximizing the efficiency of our transportation infrastructure has never been more important.

One state that may prove to be a good test bed is Maine. The Fiscal Year 2010 Transportation Appropriations bill recently signed into law by President Obama includes a provision to create a one-year pilot project to study the effects of eliminating the 80,000-pound vehicle weight limit on Maine’s federal highways. Allowing heavier trucks for a year will give researchers a chance to assess the impact on the much-debated areas of safety, commerce and road wear and tear.

It will be interesting to see how this experiment will educate the debate and, ultimately, the policy decisions which result. If the experience of our international colleagues is any guide, the consequences of more productive trucks will bring measurable benefits — for highway safety, the economy, our environment, congestion, business efficiency, energy policy and many other issues. The knee bone is connected to the thigh bone ...