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The Women in Trucking Annual Conference (Accelerate! 2022) set a record attendance with over 1,700 attendees this year. Attendees included all facets of the trucking industry, from drivers to CEOs and everything in between. The event was held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas.
Accelerate! 2022 included over 150 exhibitors that support the trucking industry. Vendors included truck manufacturers, industry suppliers from various financial services, safety and compliance, recruiting, legal services and products supporting women drivers, to name a few.
The conference opening session included a Texas welcome from Texas Trucking Association President and CEO John Esparza. John discussed a few of the industry challenges and some specific Texas-related trucking items. He outlined the impact of trucking on the Texas economy, from produce to oil and everything in between.
Here is a brief recap of the sessions TVC Pro-Driver attended:
FMCSA Agenda Outline
The current FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson gave an update on what to expect under her leadership. The FMCSA is focused on zero roadway fatalities, equity in trucking, and improving driver job satisfaction by studying compensation and detention time.
American Transportation Research Institute Industry Issues
The session presented by Dan Murray, Senior Vice President of the American Transportation Research Institute, titled “From C Suite to Drivers: Explaining the Disparity in ATRI’s Top 10 Industry Issues,” explained the most significant gaps in ATRI’s Top 10 Industry Issues between fleet executives and professional drivers.
Murray’s session also explained the ATRI’s position on Electric Commercial Motor Vehicles not being a sustainable option for over-the-road trucking. He cited recent research conducted by ATRI and a study that will be published in the near future. He noted that the current power grid infrastructure is not sustainable enough to charge these vehicles.
Clean Harbors “Top-Down” Safety and Compliance Structure
Karli Smith from Clean Harbors conducted a session on the importance of building a “Top-Down” safety and compliance structure. One of the critical points mentioned is maintaining a safe company by receiving support from the executive team and constantly communicating with the drivers. The big takeaway: Communication must be a two-way street. Management should be able to listen and gain feedback from the individuals performing the safety-sensitive functions.
As active members of the industry, TVC Pro-Driver will continue to stay on top of trucking topics that may impact your company and drivers. If you have questions about any of the sessions mentioned, you can email me at swilhelms@prodriver.com.
By Steve Wilhelms, TVC Director of Safety and Compliance
