Opening Remarks

Mark Colson

President and CEO Alabama Trucking Association

‘(This) program bridges a critical gap between high school and workforce readiness, creating a rich talent pool for the transportation industry.’ Apprenticeship program raises the bar on safety

In recent months, we have all experienced the frustration of making a trip to the store for something we want or need and leaving without it. There are many reasons for the current supply chain problems: a recent winter storm stranding hundreds of vehicles on I-95; changing customer behaviors caused by the pandemic; or workforce shortages forcing businesses to leave orders unfulfilled, bare store shelves, or delayed freight.

Our industry has always been keenly aware of how one link affects timing and performance across the whole supply chain. For years, a top concern for the industry has been a shortage of qualified commercial drivers – a shortage that has grown from 61,500 pre-pandemic to 80,000, despite substantial pay increases over that same time.

When Congress passed its bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill (The American Jobs Plan) last fall, it provided long-term funding for traditional infrastructure and added provisions for next-generation workforce development in the form of apprenticeship programs for new commercial drivers.

The Jobs Plan also includes a national pilot that authorizes up to 3,000, 18- to 20-year-old drivers to undergo supervised training in vehicles equipped with advanced safety technologies. After which, these young workers would be eligible to operate as their older counterparts with some additional surveillance until they turn 21.

Critics of the program say it is not safe, and that bringing in younger drivers isn’t the best way to address workforce supply chain issues. What they don’t say, however, is that 18-year-olds are already driving commercial trucks in America within state borders or intrastate.

Currently, in Alabama, and 48 other states and the District of Columbia, 18-to 20-year-olds can earn a CDL and operate large commercial vehicles inside their state’s boundaries – federal law prohibits those under 21 from engaging in interstate commerce. That means, they can transport 80,000 lbs. of farm equipment 356 miles from Mobile to Huntsville but can’t haul that same load 40 miles to Pascagoula, Miss.

But it’s not only about where these new drivers can go, it’s also about long-term careers. What the apprenticeship program offers is a path from earning a CDL to experience. It puts an older driver in the passenger seat to give a personalized education. They learn how to use the most progressive safety technology available like active braking collision mitigation, video event capture and speed governors that set the truck at 65 MPH or less. It’s an additional 400 hours of advanced training. Also, only the safest companies and drivers will be allowed to participate in this testing phase as both have to be approved by DOT after submitting their applications.

Driving a truck is complex, and everyone should be invested in making sure the people who get behind the wheel are ready for the responsibility. Simply put, these will be some of the most well trained and vetted drivers we have ever put on the road.

You’ll see on the following pages of this publication that our Association is committed to building the next generation of industry workers with well-researched and executed marketing campaigns to identify and link potential candidates to thousands of trucking jobs across Alabama, as well as working with the Alabama Community College System to enhance the CDL offerings. At its core, the apprenticeship program bridges a critical gap between high school and workforce readiness creating a rich talent pool for the transportation industry. Trucking is a great career choice to earn a very comfortable living in a field with almost limitless possibility.

There is no silver bullet to addressing the trucking’s workforce problems. We need a comprehensive approach. We need entry level drivers to be highly skilled and safety focused, and we must create clear pathways for individuals to enter our industry and get the training they need, especially high school graduates. Fortunately, the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot is a strong start to accomplish these goals. The trucking industry is ready to welcome these new apprentices and is excited to give them a solid foundation for their future professional and personal lives.

Sumerford Representing Industry, Digging Into Trucking Issues

National ATA’s new chairman is looking forward to a year of trucking activism.

By Dan Shell

Rising to Chairman of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) is the culmination of a six-year process that includes two-year roles as general, second and first chair. “It’s a commitment and a big honor,” says Harold Sumerford, Jr., CEO of J&M Tank Lines based in Birmingham.

Son Also Rises – Harold Sumerford Jr. stands next to a painting of his late father, Harold Sumerford Sr., who owned and operated the company for decades. Both men have served on the boards of National ATA, Georgia Motor Trucking Assn. and National Tank Truck Car riers. “We learned early on to see the value of giving back to an industry that’s been so good to us,” Harold Jr. says.

Sumerford stands with recently appointed America’s Road Team Captain, Darrien Henderson, a J&M Driver from Mobile, and Corporate Communications & Image Manager Sabrina Williams.

Commitment

The honor continues Sumerford’s remarkable career spanning six decades since he joined J&M Tank Lines in 1976. During his career he’s helped grow the business to its current configuration that includes 415 tractors and 720 tankers and 11 terminals with more than 550 employees.

Sumerford’s ATA chairmanship comes after a full career of involvement with groups as varied as ATA, National Tank Truck Carriers, Georgia Motor Trucking Assn., Alabama Trucking Assn., American Transportation Research Institute and Truckload Carriers Insurance, and he’s worked in a variety of roles with each organization.

Sumerford notes that the national ATA is a well-oiled machine (a $40 million+ budget and more than 100 employees) that has an experienced, professional staff and executive leadership team. The association has ongoing programs and government affairs priorities across the nation that require plenty of resources. “It’s not the chairman’s job to run the association,” Sumerford says. “My job is to support the staff and the officers and represent the association.”

Such a large group also can’t find itself changing directions and priorities with each change in chairmanship, so Sumerford sees the position largely as representing ATA with supporting groups and getting out among the state groups and other members and promoting ATA’s priorities and goals.

In a news report following Sumerford being named to the chairmanship last fall, ATA President Chris Spear commented on Sumerford’s outreach, his efforts to understand broader viewpoints and implications before making decisions and his commitment to being “fully engaged with creating a better, amplified narrative for this industry.”

Sumerford says he can also provide expertise on the financial side, which is his specialty, and he’s worked on ATA budgets as a vice chairman and with the financial concerns of other trucking associations. But there’s only so much impact one can make in a year.

Even so, there are a few things he’d like to “clean up that are already in place and help push to the finish line,” he says. He also communicates with general chairs working their way up the ATA leadership ladder to help identify any issues they see coming up in the future.

Though much of the groundwork was laid before his term, the ATA’s success with the challenge to the proposed federal vaccine mandate is an area where he wants ATA to remain very vigilant. He’d also like to contribute to progress working with key parts of the Safe Driving Act, such as the recently announced Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program to develop new, younger drivers and apprenticeship programs to help. Also, he looks to help promote “anything related to safety.”

For Sumerford, making the commitment to work on behalf of the industry was as natural as growing up. As far back as he can remember, “When I was a kid we’d go to different trucking events,” he says of traveling with his father, Harold Sumerford Sr., who served on the boards of ATA, Georgia Motor Trucking Assn. and National Tank Truck Carriers, and where his father and Harold Jr. also served a term as chairman.

“My father worked with all these groups, and we learned early on to see the value of giving back to an industry that’s been so good to us,” Sumerford says. “All my life we’ve been involved.”

He says that in addition to providing representation for truckers concerning state and federal issues, safety and many other benefits, associations offer great value by providing opportunities to learn and build relationships with other similar businesses and network with like-minded business owners.

The new ATA chairman says that even though he has a full-time job in Birmingham, he’s made plans for this year and looks forward to spending a good bit of time living up to that commitment by representing ATA at various events such as the Kenworth Dealers Meeting in Tucson earlier this year. He’s also represented ATA internationally at events in Europe. Issues

Sumerford emphasizes one of the biggest issues for industry is attracting young people and talent and especially young drivers. The commercial truck driver shortage, now around 80,000, could double

in less than 10 years, according to ATA estimates if current trends aren’t slowed or reversed. He notes that the tanker segment he operates in has been hit especially hard since drivers need additional training for hazardous materials handling.

Sumerford notes the apprenticeship pilot program is an excellent start by allowing 18-20-year-old drivers to cross state lines after extensive training. It also points up the overriding importance of safety.

He adds that it looks like the U.S. Dept. of Transportation is stepping up to make the program a reality quickly in response to the dire driver shortage, and he wants to be sure ATA is doing all it can to help fast-track the program’s implementation. He’s also looking forward to seeing more of the federal infrastructure package details and implementation and look for any ways ATA can assist or take advantage of any programs offered there.

While the pandemic and demographics in general are driving many of the trends feeding the driver shortage, industry itself is to blame in some ways, Sumerford says.

“We have to treat our drivers a lot better as an industry, treat them with respect and listen to them,” he exclaims, adding that a lot is asked of drivers who work many hours a week. “And we have to keep in mind drivers are not machines,” Sumerford says.

He adds that in his own company he’s seen that more money isn’t the drivers’ sole motivation, and that quality of life issues are a priority as well as compensation.

To attract more females and female drivers, the industry needs to continue to make sure the work environment is safe, and a lot of that means investing in good equipment, he believes. Sumerford adds that the military is a big potential new driver pool, and there are incentives out there to hiring veterans.

J&M has also worked to attract more females and younger people into its non-driving workforce as well, he says.

A big part of attracting more drivers is investing in new technology and safety technology, Sumerford believes. “Safety has always been ingrained in the way we do business,” he says.

Under Sumerford’s leadership, J&M has been an early and avid adopter of new trucking technology. For example, he says, his fleet was operating with E-log systems in 2009, years before the technology was mandated.

Already, the company has been using adaptive cruise control and lane departure monitoring technology for six or seven years, Sumerford says, adding that “We’re always in the process of looking at ‘What’s next?’”

One new area is predictive analysis using artificial intelligence technology to monitor and predict driver behavior. The company recently signed a deal with Netradyne to explore new advanced vision technology to boost safety by assessing driver behavior and sending alerts for corrective action when needed.

“We can prevent accidents with the technology we have, and our company and the industry need to keep investing in it,” Sumerford says.

Safety is a key to several industry issues, including attracting young drivers, reducing regulations and maintaining as low as pos sible insurance rates, he believes.

“In my opinion, we don’t need to fight safety initiatives,” Sumerford says. “Instead, we need to embrace them.”

Forty years into his stellar career, Sumerford now represents truckers across the nation. The industry and the employees who support it both on and off the road are lucky to have Harold Sumerford in their corner, building a better industry narrative—and a better industry overall.