A Look Down the Road: Trucking Policy Trends in 2023


The federal government and individual states have long sought to establish a wide variety of laws and regulations that affect the commercial trucking industry. A major rationale for these policy actions is the goal of increasing safety on the highway. Providing a more professional environment for drivers is also a stated top priority.

Reversing the Trend

The primary oversight for the trucking industry is provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This agency has increasingly taken the lead in addressing issues that it feels impact driver and vehicle safety factors. Unfortunately, this oversight has gained additional urgency as accidents involving trucks have increased by more than 40 percent over the period of 2009-2019, with no slacking in the trend through 2022.

A collection of proposed policy actions was included in the recently introduced National Roadway Safety Strategy. This proposed initiative has as its goal the elimination of all deaths and serious injuries resulting from car-truck collisions. The framework for the strategy includes five “safer” goals, including safer:

  • People
  • Roads
  • Vehicles
  • Speeds
  • Post-crash care

A recent article in FreightWaves discusses some of the policy initiatives this strategy may include. Some items are significant, and others, such as bathroom access, are somewhat trivial. However, the overall perspective of the policies is to ensure truckers are treated in a manner that encourages respect and safe operations.

Other policy matters beyond safety include the working conditions for drivers and the entire approach to load brokering and shipments.

Several of the policies that are being considered and implemented include:

  • Oversight of the Infrastructure Bill spending to ensure safer highways and roads, railroad crossings, and other accident-prone locations. The benefits of this focus are not just physical. It is pointed out that port backlogs create delays and burdens that cause drivers to compromise some safety procedures and driving hours to make up for the lost time.
  • Revaluating truck size, weight, and age limitations. The new legislation in California banning older vehicles and trailers is just the beginning of such restrictions. With many carriers such as FedEx and UPS asking for authorization for heavier trucks on the road, the challenge of doing so without impacting safety is a key concern.
  • As noted in an earlier Road Scholar blog, a priority of FMSCA is to require all trucks be given a unique digital id. The premise is that the use of a wireless id will facilitate more targeted inspections and monitoring of such things as CDL compliance and medical certifications.
  • Oversight of brokers in a post-pandemic environment is getting a lot of attention. According to FMSCA and other sources, the rise of illegal brokers and brokerage fraud is a growing concern. From double brokering to fraudulent dispatch services, truckers are being warned to work only with known and trusted services and brokers.
  • The Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act is just one bill at the federal level, with several in many states, addressing trucker pay. Most are designed with the goal of ensuring truckers receive the overtime pay they deserve. Additionally, some bills, such as one enacted in California, address the issue of the relationship of independent truckers with the trucking firms they serve.
  • Rethinking the use of speed limiters is a hot topic. Another issue with a long and controversial history is that of speed governors or limiters. The announcement by FMSCA that it would propose new electronic control devices for engines in 2023 quickly generated more than 15,000 responses.
  • Truck parking is finally getting serious attention. Providing adequate and safe parking for truckers is increasingly seen as an affordable and important part of an overall rethinking of truck safety and driver convenience. With some progress made in the Infrastructure Bill, advocates are seeking to expand on that success.

The trucking industry is a vital part of the American economic system, and the pandemic produced a new appreciation of this role. That fact means the politicians are paying more attention and that will produce additional proposals for additional policy changes and additions. 

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