This month we reveal which truckers are seeing an increase in their mileage rates. Also the trucking industry is split on possible changes to load size and weight increases. And in case you didn’t already know trucking is dominant and we have recent data to prove it. Take a few minutes to get updated then head over to our jobs section and get back on the road!

• Truckers Mileage Rates on the Rise
• Debate Over Increasing Load Size and Weight Heats Up
• ATA Report Highlights Trucking Dominance in U.S Economy

Truckers See Rise in Their Mileage Pay

If you are a reefer or dry van driver you may have noticed a bump in your paycheck as of late. Reefer and dry van rates are all on the rise since May according to DAT Trendlines.

Reefer rates rose dramatically in May from $1.65 to $2.14 per mile. Dry van drivers also saw an increase from $1.55 to $1.82 on average. Unfortunately Flatbed rates showed a slight decrease of 2 cents per mile to an average of $2.13 however it should be noted that Flatbed rates are less volatile than reefer and dry vans.

OOIDA and ATA Weigh in on Increase to Load Size

Last month we talked about legislation for freezing load weights and sizes. The debate has heated up since then with two major trucking organizations taking opposite sides on the issue.

Both the Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA) and the The American Trucking Association (ATA) weighed in at a Department of Transportation public session to decide if increasing transportation size and weight is viable with our current infrastructure.

OOIDA expressed concern that the current U.S. infrastructure can’t support more stress and cited the recent collapse of the Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River in Washington as evidence. They believe that state and federal spending cannot support an increased weight allowance on already struggling highways.

On the other side of the debate the ATA has sided with the increase in load size and weight citing carbon emissions as a key reason.

ATA supports a number of reforms to federal truck size and weight regulations as part of our Sustainability Initiative said ATA President Bill Graves. More efficient trucks like those allowed under this legislation will significantly reduce the trucking industry’s carbon output. We also wonder if the ATA is supportive of the proposal’s potential to increase shipping capacity without an increase in overhead from adding trucks and drivers in an already tight labor market.

Before any legislation passes the Department of Transportation is thoroughly studying the impact that larger loads will have on highway safety.

“First as part of the study we will examine the safety impacts and enforcement of various truck sizes and weight” said Jeff Paniati Executive Director of the Federal Highway Administration. “As I indicated earlier from Secretary LaHood all the way down through the US Department of Transportation safety is our number one priority.”

Where do you stand? Would you feel safe driving these bigger hauls with road conditions where they are? Give us your thoughts over at our message board!

New ATA Report Shows Increased Role Trucking Has on U.S Economy

The American Trucking Association has recently released a report that shows trucking remains the dominant mode of freight transportation in the U.S. and is a major contributor to the strength of the U.S. economy.

According to the report trucks moved 9.4 billion tons of freight in 2012 or 68.5 percent of all domestic shipments. Both figures are up from the previous year.

Furthermore in 2012 trucking generated $642.1 billion in gross freight-related revenues or 80.7 percent of the nation’s freight bills also an increase from 2011.

One additional noteworthy statistic from the report is that the trucking industry paid $36.5 billion in federal and state highway user fees and taxes in 2011 – a 10.3 percent increase from 2009.