Dogs and cats sleeping together

There are things in life that just gob smack you. They aren’t what you were expecting

I’ve been covering the trucking industry since the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was formed in 2000.

I’ve interacted with a number of administrators. Without fail, their individual focus has been on driver enforcement.

They rolled out CSA, now SMS, to clamp down on roadside enforcement activities. The use of data to determine crash likelihood was a big deal.

I could tick off all of the driver-related enforcement programs, but the vast majority of you live them. There’s no need to rehash the past.

It is always interesting to go through an administrator transition. You never really know what you’re in for.

The current administration might have as well been stormed by Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, given the shock industry-wide reaction to the agency’s about-face.

In place of the destructive, evil marshmallow, we have FMCSA Derek Barrs.

On a side note, I think it is important to note that the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has long been for driver safety. Other groups have routinely painted the Association with the brush of rebels.

Instead of listening to the message coming from OOIDA, adversarial groups have furthered their agendas by portraying truckers as the villains of the highway.

Enter Barrs.

We can expect those trying to game the licensing system to freak completely out.

“Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!

“Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes…

“The dead rising from the grave!

“Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… MASS HYSTERIA!

Barrs has set the stage to be a true game-changer in trucking enforcement.

That’s not to say roadside enforcement is going away; it’s just that pre-CDL enforcement has entered the game.

What makes Barrs’ and his agenda so unique is the focus on enforcing against unqualified drivers and, eventually, on shoring up driver training.

From his confirmation hearing to an interview with Land Line, Barr has been emphatic about his enforcement against companies that assist unsafe, untrained drivers behind the wheel.

You can see the bigger plan on Page 14.

Another big story that you need to tune into is the bill by Rep. Hageman, R-Wyo.

Hageman is attacking the unqualified trucker issue from another front: Under-21 driver training.

For the longest time, the American Trucking Association has poor-mouthed the driver shortage as a way to open the gates to unqualified drivers.

One notable way is their under-21 pilot program. The pilot program that failed to garner attendance. That hasn’t stopped ATA from trying again.

Hageman introduced a bill that brought both the opponents and proponents of an under-21 pilot program.

I won’t give the full details; you can find them on Page 22.

The gist of all this is a change in agenda.

Trucking has been blessed with lawmakers who get trucking. While enforcement certainly isn’t going away, it’s going to take on a new look. That’s especially true with the upcoming highway bill.

All those standalone bills will have champions trying to get their language included. Think about Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., who wants to stop speed-limiter mandates; Rep. Troy Nehls, who wants to ensure truckers have restroom access; and Reps. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J. and Mark Takano, D-Calif., who are angling for truckers to get paid overtime and Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., who wants truckers to have the right to repair.

That’s just to name a few.

Think about what would happen if we spent time in the run-up to the highway bill deliberations if we assembled. There is a lot that can be accomplished if not only align with those we disagree with, but also find a middle ground.

The highway bill will be the proving ground. Coalitions will form, fracture and reform. Old grudges will still lurk in the corners. But if this industry can resist the reflex to snarl at unlikely allies and instead lean into shared outcomes, safer roads, qualified drivers, a profession worth protecting, then maybe this strange moment becomes something more than a headline.

So maybe this is one of those gob-smack moments. Not mass hysteria, not the end times, not even the Stay-Puft aftermath we’ve all learned to brace for. LL