GET-IN-GEAR Summer/Fall Edition 2017

GET-IN-GEAR

summer/fall edition 2017

GET-IN-GEAR

The Official Publication of CVTA LEADERSHIP CORNER | 3 CVTA Chairman, Gary Strube WASHINGTON UPDATE | 4 Government Funding, WIOA On Agenda for September | 4

GI Bill Benefits Expansion Bill Becomes Law | 4 House Committee Pass CDL Bills Supporting Veterans and Military Personnel | 4 Human Trafficking & Our Nations Highways: Congress Considers Bills on Raising Human Trafficking Awareness | 5 You’re Hired! President Issues Executive Order on Apprenticeships | 5 AROUND THE NATION | 5 California Skills Tests Delays Legislation Stalls in Senate | 5 ALL THINGS AUTONOMOUS | 7 Autonomous Vehicles, Highly Automated Vehicles & Self-Driving Vehicles, Oh My! | 7 Highly Automated Commercial Vehicles Topic of Discussion During FMCSA’s MCSAC Meeting | 7 Senate Commerce Committee Convenes to Discuss Self-Driving Vehicles | 7 THE FUTURE OF TRUCKING: PROSPECTS FOR AUTONOMY IN LONG HAUL TRUCKING | 8

By Jeff Stern, Chain Security, LLC ADVOCACY IN ACTION | 11 A REPORT FROM THE ROAD | 13

By CVTA President & CEO, Don Lefeve IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT | 16

By Bill Collins, Interstate Truck Driving School

Don Lefeve

President & CEO (703) 642-9444 ext. 101 don.lefeve@cvta.org

Cindy Atwood

Vice President (703) 642-9444 ext. 102 ccatwood@cvta.org

Mark Valentini

Director of Government Affairs (703) 642-9444 ext. 105 mark.valentini@cvta.org

44 Canal Center Plz., Suite 120 • Alexandria, VA 22314 P: (703) 642-9444 • www.cvta.org

Kristine Gager

Director of Communications (703) 642-9444 ext. 104 kristine.gager@cvta.org

LEADERSHIP CORNER A Message from CVTA’s Chairman

As my term as CVTA’s Chairman comes to a close, I realize that is the last time I will be sharing my thoughts and aspirations about the association to our members as your Chairman. It’s truly been my honor to serve CVTA and its members.

Over the past two years, CVTA has continued making great strides to advance our industry and its members. Most importantly, we have elevated the importance of the professional truck driver training within the trucking industry. This is a direct result from the hard work CVTA members have put in to make this a reality. To all members, thank you.

I’ve enjoyed meeting new members and strengthening relationships with long standing members. Just walking around our conferences, it’s been amazing to see the level of respect and comradery that exists amongst our members, and how this association continues to get better. Again, this is a testament to our members caring about this industry, valuing other members, and serving the greater good of the association and the industry at large.

Our growth in membership and value for our members correlates with the growth in influence CVTA has been building on the policies that regulate our industry. While our government affairs program has enjoyed many successes over the years, I would like to point out the significant victories in what has been an exceptionally successful year to date: • The Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) Final Rule has finally begun its implementation phase, which CVTA played a central role in the passage of this rulemaking and was a vigorous advocate for high-quality training standards. In fact, it is our members’ standards that served as the model for ELDTAC in determining what a quality curriculum should look like.

• In my home state of Texas, we worked with Governor Greg Abbott’s (R) office to ensure the state’s Department of Public Safety opened the doors to third-party testing to relieve the backlog of CDL applicants waiting to take the skills test. Similarly, the New Jersey’s legislature passed a law earlier this year that requires the Motor Vehicle Administration to implement a pilot program for third party CDL skills testing.

In California, the state legislature is on the cusp of passing a bill sponsored by CVTA that will require the state to reduce wait times to 14 days by 2019, and 7 days by 2021.

• Earlier this year, we hosted our largest Capitol Hill day in CVTA’s history. For one CVTA member, the relationships formed at Capitol Hill Day with his Senators and Congressman yielded action back in his state. This member leveraged his federal relationship to help spur action on the state level to open a new CDL skills test facility near his training facility. This is just one of many examples underscoring the effectiveness of CVTA working with policymakers to advance the interests of our members and industry.

For those that may not know, I will continue to serve on the Board of Directors in the role of Past Chairman, and look forward to remaining active. I will continue working with CVTA’s leadership team on new ways to improve on the overall member experience and ensure that CVTA has a strong voice in the trucking and transportation industries.

Together, we’ve come a long way and I’m excited to see what the future holds for all of us as members.

Lastly, I look forward to seeing everyone in my home state of Texas for our Fall Conference taking place in San Antonio.

Gary Strube Chairman of the Board, CVTA

WASHINGTON UPDATE Government Funding, WIOA On Agenda for September When Congress returned from its August recess, there are several must-do items that needed to be immediately addressed. President Trump and Congress agreed to a “Continuing Resolution (CR)”, which funds all government operations typically at existing levels, through December 15, 2017. This CR will extend the nation’s debt ceiling, so the United States will not default on its debt obligations and will provide emergency aid to help Texas and Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

One aspect of the spending bills that will be passed is continue funding for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Grants. The House Appropriations Committee passed its version FY 2018 Departments of Labor, and Health and Human Services (Labor-HHS) Appropriations bill. In particular, the House version funds adult employment and training activities at $776.6 million, which is a reduction of $39 million from FY 2017 enacted amounts.

However, this is $286 million above the administration’s request. The House version bill appropriates $868 million more than the Trump administration’s request, in part because the President’s request sought to cut WIOA programs significantly.

On September 7th, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed its version of the FY 2018 Labor-HHS bill. The Senate version is almost $1.3 billion more than the President’s budget request for WIOA and $292.5 million more than the House request. In particular, the Senate Appropriations Committee funds adult employment and training activities at $815.5 million, which matches FY 2017 enacted amounts. This is also $38.8 million above the FY 2018 House request and $315.2 million above the White House request. CVTA will be advocating for the Senate numbers.

GI Bill Benefits Expansion Bill Becomes Law On August 16, 2017, President Trump signed the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 into law. This law expands GI Bill benefits to qualified veteran by removing a 15-year time limit in which veterans can use their benefits and expanding benefits for National Guardsmen and Reservists. Additionally, the legislation will provide full benefits to Purple Heart recipients. Qualified veterans will be able to take advantage of the GI Bill any time in their lives to pay for their education, including truck driver training.

House Committee Pass CDL Bills Supporting Veterans and Military Personnel On June 26th, the House of Representatives unanimously passed two bills aimed at easing the pathway for military personnel and veterans to obtain their commercial driver’s license. The first bill, H.R. 2547, introduced by Representatives Rob Woodall (R-GA-07) and Julia Brownley (D-CA-26) will enable Veterans Administration medical professionals the ability to perform physical exams on eligible veterans and issue the required certificates necessary to operate a commercial motor vehicle.

The second bill, H.R. 2258 – The Active Duty Voluntary Acquisition of Necessary Credentials for Employment (ADVANCE) Act – would exempt qualified active duty military and reservists from certain commercial driver’s license testing requirements.

Both bills are now before the United State Senate, which has not acted yet.

Human Trafficking & Our Nations Highways: Congress Considers Bills on Raising Human Trafficking Awareness On July 12th, the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing exploring the role of transportation stakeholders in preventing and raising awareness of human trafficking.

The witness panel included experts on human trafficking, notably Truckers Against Trafficking’s Esther Goetsch.

The hearing underscored the importance of transportation stakeholders, particularly truck drivers, to be aware of the occurrence of human trafficking on our nation’s roads and the importance of educating them on identifying potential risks and contacting law enforcement. On the same day as the Senate hearing, the House of Representatives passed three human trafficking bills.

• H.R. 2200: The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Reauthorization Act provides $500 million for education and training of law enforcement officials and multimodal transportation stakeholders in human trafficking awareness.

• H.R. 2664: Sponsored by Representative Tim Walberg (R-MI-07) directs the Department of Labor to train and retrain appropriate agency personnel in the identification and prevention of human trafficking.

• H.R. 2480, sponsored by Representative Vicky Hartzler (R-MO-04) expands the use of certain Justice Department grants for human trafficking awareness education.

Earlier this year, Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced S.1311, a bill that provides grants for, among other things, post-secondary institutions such as truck driving schools, to incorporate sex trafficking education into their training curriculums. The bill has passed the Senate with an amendment by unanimous consent.

You’re Hired! President Issues Executive Order on Apprenticeships On June 15th, President Donald Trump announced signed an executive order that will allow companies, trade associations, and unions to develop industry-specific apprenticeship guidelines, subject to approval by the Department of Labor. The order will also add $100 million to the FY2018 budget proposal recently submitted by the administration.

AROUND THE NATION California Skills Tests Delays Legislation Stalls in Senate California State Assembly Bill AB 301 advanced to the Senate Appropriations Committee after several minor amendments in the Senate’s transportation committee. On September 1, the Appropriations Committee chose to hold the bill in committee meaning the bill will not go forward to the Senate floor for a final vote this year. The California Senate Appropriations committee is the last stop in the bill’s journey before a final Senate vote.

Now that the bill is stalled in the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Committee will have to take up the bill again next year if the bill is to be passed. The bill has strong bipartisan support, is broadly backed by industry stakeholders, and the bill’s chief sponsor is committed to seeing its passage next year.

As amended, AB 301 sets a July 2019 deadline for California’s DMV to reduce CDL skills test delays to no more than 14 days, to be further reduced to seven days by July 2021.

The legislation also establishes a stakeholder advisory group to provide recommendations to California’s DMV on how to reduce CDL skills test delays. The legislation also requires the California DMV to provide written explanations for any policy recommendations it does not implement.

REGISTER TODAY

CVTA’s 2017 FALL CONFERENCE September 27-29th #SATXFALL2017 For conference registration and hotel details, visit: https://cvta.org/member-news/events.html

ALL THINGS AUTONOMOUS Autonomous Vehicles, Highly Automated Vehicles & Self-Driving Vehicles, Oh My! CVTA submitted a comment letter to the FMCSA on autonomous trucks in response to the public listening session the agency held at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s spring conference in Atlanta, GA. In its comments, CVTA expressed that due to the complexity of highly autonomous vehicles will likely require additional training, FMCSA may want to consider creating a CDL endorsement to operate highly automated commercial vehicles.

Overall, CVTA reiterated its belief that drivers remain paramount to road safety. CVTA also suggested that regulations such as Hours of Service (HOS) shouldn’t change even with the addition of technology because drivers are critical to road safety.

Highly Automated Commercial Vehicles Topic of Discussion During FMCSA’s MCSAC Meeting On June 13th, FMCSA’s MCSAC held a meeting to discuss a variety of topics, but most importantly, gathering recommendations for the Agency’s consideration around highly automated commercial vehicles (HACV’s). Highly automated commercial vehicles (HACVs) are those in which the vehicle can take full control of the driving tasks in at least some circumstances. HACVs hold enormous potential benefits for safety, mobility, and sustainability.

CVTA submitted a letter to the FMCSA asking the committee to consider several requirements. Among them, requirements that all autonomous commercial vehicles have a braking system, a steering system and a trained driver in the event of a technological malfunction. As to training, CVTA asked the committee to keep their process nimble to allow for feedback as training programs augment their curricula to reflect new HACV technology. Lastly, CVTA suggested that the committee authorize an HACV endorsement for the CDL rather than an across-the-board new technology driver’s license. Thankfully, it appears that these positions on the part of CVTA were echoed by the agency members and industry members alike.

It is clear from the meeting that the regulatory agencies are relying on stakeholders to provide data and feedback as they proceed. In addition, it appears that competition may be the real animator behind the process. Safety is the driving force shaping the industry. Even with all the hand-wringing around various agencies’ inability to rapidly promulgate rapid baseline safety regulations for HACV technology, competition is driving ever higher standards of safety. Some of the more interesting exchanges centered around a Canadian scientist’s research on how to combat driver monotony if a driver is asked to engage the system rapidly. Similarly, SAE, the independent standards counsel with great influence over transportation regulations, described just how much work is still necessary to create fully autonomous vehicles. CVTA was pleased to attend and assist the committee and looks forward to the results from upcoming research and dialogue.

Senate Commerce Committee Convenes to Discuss Self-Driving Vehicles The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on Wednesday, June 14 to discuss automated vehicles and issues that manufacturers face in testing them. Senator John Thune (R-SD), the Committee’s chairman, is preparing to introduce legislation with committee colleague Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) that would overhaul the way autonomous vehicles are regulated.

Witnesses testifying before the committee included representatives from safety groups, technology companies, and auto manufacturers. Opening statements from representatives touted the potential for vast improvements in highway safety through self-driving cars by eliminating the human factors involved in accidents. Colleen Sheehey-Church, testifying on behalf of Mothers Against Drunk Driving stated that autonomous vehicle (AV) technology has the potential to eliminate crashes related to substance abuse, but suggested that uniformity of AV regulation would be best achieved under Federal oversight. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) voiced concerns about cybersecurity risks and their impact on highway safety.

As you know, CVTA has been monitoring the development of policies related to AV technology and believes that the driver should continue to play a critical role in the operation of a vehicle, regardless of its level of technology. We will continue to advocate this position and keep our members informed of further updates.

THE FUTURE OF TRUCKING Prospects for Autonomy in Long Haul Trucking As an engineer who has worked in telecommunications, unmanned systems, Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics for the past 20 years, I am going to start this article by letting you read about how the story ends: autonomy is coming.

Any trade or profession that makes use of a human’s hand eye coordination, including truck driving, will leverage technology to replace certain manual skills of the operator. In fact, some level of automation is currently being used in surgery, dentistry, nursing and flying aircraft. The type of autonomy that is used in these professions is called Human-Assisted Autonomy, or Human-Machine Teaming. In these cases, there is always a human in the loop. Autonomy technology is considered part of robotics technology. Specifically, autonomy is part of an area called Assistive Robotics. The idea here is that robots are used when they can reduce stress and danger for the operator, or substantially reduce operator costs. I do not foresee a time in the next 10-15 years when there is no human decision maker in the picture during long haul trucking operations.

There are four considerations in thinking about autonomy and trucking: 1. The state of autonomy technology for large trucks 2. The inherent complexity and risks associated with moving loaded heavy trucks 3. The value of truck drivers in being the custodians of safety on the highways and roads 4. The state of cyber-security and its twin sister, cyber-risk in heavy trucks Each of these considerations leads to a conclusion that it will take a long time until the human can safely be taken out of the driver’s seat in heavy trucks.

Vehicle Autonomy Roboticists consider that it is much easier to achieve higher levels of autonomy flying an aircraft than operating a ground vehicle. This make sense because an aircraft operates freely in 3 dimensions, and a ground vehicle, at best, operates freely in 1+ dimensions. Much of the science of autonomy deals with obstacle avoidance. Ground vehicles operate along the path of the road, and have some possible lateral freedom.

That lateral freedom of movement, in the best of circumstances with no traffic, consists of a few traffic lanes. It is a fact that a ground vehicle will generally have considerable less freedom of movement than either an air vehicle or surface vessel. Yet given the risks with large drones, no one flies them without a human in the loop.

We see assistive robotics applied in mass market today in the parking assist, which is increasingly being deployed by auto manufacturers in private automobiles. We know there’s a movement towards use of autonomous automobiles being driven by auto manufacturers, ride companies like Uber and Lyft, high tech companies like Apple and Google, and chip companies like Intel and NVIDIA.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines five levels of vehicle autonomy: • Level 1 – Function-specific Automation: Automation of specific control functions, such as cruise control, lane guidance and automated parallel parking. Drivers are fully engaged and responsible for overall vehicle control (hands on the steering wheel and foot on the pedal at all times).

• Level 2 - Combined Function Automation: Automation of multiple and integrated control functions, such as adaptive cruise control with lane centering. Drivers are responsible for monitoring the roadway and are expected to be available for control at all times, but under certain conditions can disengaged from vehicle operation (hands off the steering wheel and foot off pedal simultaneously).

• Level 3 - Limited Self-Driving Automation: Drivers can cede all safety-critical functions under certain conditions and rely on the vehicle to monitor when conditions require transition back to driver control.

• Level 4 – Self-Driving Under Specified Conditions: Vehicles can perform all driving functions under specified conditions.

• Level 5 - Full Self-Driving Automation: Vehicles can perform all driving functions on all normal road types, speed ranges and environmental conditions.

BIS Research estimates that the higher levels of automation (3, 4 and 5) are presently in the test and development phase.

Feasibility of vehicles equipped with higher level automated systems are under way on public roads. The penetration rate of level’s 3, 4 and 5 technology in passenger cars is anticipated to be 0.016%, 0.002% and 0.002%, respectively in the year 2020.

It is only at NHTSA’s Level 5 - Full Self-Driving Automation – that here is no human in the loop. Earlier this year, Audi and NVIDIA announced they would field test a Level 4 vehicle in three years. In July of this year, NVIDIA announced that one of its microprocessors is powering the world’s first Level 3 self-driving production automobile1. Tesla’s Autopilot system is a Level 2 system and requires the driver to be paying attention at all times. So, it’s probably fair to say that while Level 2 autonomy is already in the market, it will take a considerable amount of time until Level 5 autonomy is widely deployed in passenger automobiles.

It is expected that the truck industry will leverage the large investment that is being made in autonomy for automobiles, and it is doing that for Levels 1 and 2 autonomy.

Cyber Risk The risk due to software failure in some intelligent component that is supporting the autonomy function in the truck probably provides the greatest source of likelihood of failure leading to injury, death and property damage. Autonomy is supported by a sophisticated network of sensors that is continuously measuring a wide variety of variables.

To comprehend autonomous vehicles, let’s first understand the terminology that is used and examine what this means.

1https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/12/nvidia-is-powering-the-worlds-firstlevel-3-self-driving-production-car/

THE FUTURE OF TRUCKING Many of the sensors are already in the vehicles, which are essential for both performance and safety. A familiar example is the Wheel Speed Sensor (WSS).

80,000 lbs. also traveling at 62 mph will deliver about 1,184 tons of force. The difference in the potential damage that can be done is considerable.

The anti-lock braking system (ABS), traction control and stability control systems all rely on the WSS. Typically, the WSS and other sensors communicate over an electrical communications bus (BUS).

The eighteen-wheeler is 70-80 feet in length, and a good size car is about 15 feet long. Due to size and weight, it takes 40% longer to stop a truck than it does an automobile. According the American Trucking Association, truck crashes are twice as likely to result in a fatality than car crashes. This makes sense because of the size of trucks and the high forces that are delivered on impact.

Sensors collect and send information over the BUS to computers that process the information and make control decisions that are then communicated to objects like actuators that implement the control decisions.

When you read articles about some vehicle system being hacked, the access to the hacked element was often through the BUS. Last year, Wired published an interesting article called, HACKERS HIJACK A BIG RIG TRUCK’S ACCELERATOR AND BRAKES1. The title of the article speaks for itself, and describes research conducted by students at the University of Michigan as part of a class assignment. SAE International is working to train engineers who develop automated control systems for cars and trucks to include security in their design. However, one problem is that BUS systems, and most of the automated control systems that vehicles depend upon, were developed before much consideration was given to security issues.

SAE Standard J1939 is the common standard that is used for computing and communications elements in heavy vehicles.

When the students at the University of Michigan hacked the truck to issue acceleration and braking commands, they inserted messages through the truck’s diagnostic port. Once they had access to the diagnostic port, even though they did not know all the commands that they would need, they were able to query computer modules for J1939 commands that they would need. However, what is also important here, is because of common J1039 commands the attack is relatively easy to reproduce across a variety of manufacturers’ truck lines.

The absence of security in the initial design of vehicle automation systems means that even if the autonomy system is secure, other automation systems that it relies upon are not necessarily secure. This is mainly because these BUS and automation systems were developed years before the idea of the connected vehicle was common, and security was not a main concern of designers.

Looking at the cyber risk, let’s put this in context. The risks to public safety from a single accident in long haul trucking is considerably larger than they are for an automobile accident. It may appear obvious, but it’s worth noting some basic facts regarding the potential for injury, death and property damage.

Without delving into the details of the calculation, an average loaded passenger car that weighs about 3,720 lbs., traveling at 62 mph will deliver about 73 tons of force in a crash.

We compare this to a loaded semi-truck that weighs about 1 https://www.wired.com/2016/08/researchers-hack-big-rig-truck-hijack-accelerator-brakes/

In a University of Michigan study of 8,309 fatal Large Truck – Passenger Car crashes, 81% of car drivers were determined to have some fault, while 26% of truck drivers were determined to have some fault. In 10% of the cases, it was determined that both drivers were at fault2. It is fair to conclude from this that truck drivers are aware and understand the increased danger their vehicle and contents pose to themselves and to the public.

Autonomous vehicles are just one part of a group of objects that are collectively included in the Internet of Things (IoT).

In the case of trucks, the area of IoT security is a relatively new and emerging field. The result is robotics and autonomy designers are far ahead of the security designers. Security cannot be an afterthought if it is to be done right. To get economically adequate security in products, especially high impact products like long haul trucks, security must be part of the product from initial concept, through design, into manufacturing and distribution. A very important part of security is how to manage software updates to ensure that software in vehicles is updated to reflect fixes to security vulnerabilities and operational defects that are inevitably discovered.

It is important to ensure that the update process cannot be hijacked to introduce new security vulnerabilities.

Conclusion While autonomy is coming, drivers will continue to be a critical part of trucking for a long time. The risk to lives is considerable if systems fail or hacking occurs. The risk is just too great not to have a driver in the cab. Moreover, as technology advances towards Level 5 autonomy, drivers will not become obsolete. In fact, it is quite possible that future generation of drivers will do their driving from a cubicle in a driving center much like pilots fly drones currently in the military.

AUTHORED BY Jeff Stern CEO Chain Security, LLC jstern@chainsec.com

2 University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI; Blower, 1998, 1999)

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ADVOCACY IN AC TION CVTA’s Government Affairs department routinely reaches out to Congressional offices to arrange visits for members of Congress and/or their staff to provide them a first hand look at the truck driver training industry. Over the last few months, CVTA members have welcomed elected officials to visit and meet with students, instructors and staff. Visits included: • Representative Don Bacon (R-NE-02) visited JTL Truck Driver Training’s Omaha campus.

• A staffer from Congressman Robert Brady’s (R-PA-01) office visited All-State Career School’s Lester campus.

• A staffer from Senator Thom Tillis’ office (R-NC) visited Roadmaster’s Dunn campus.

• Congressman Tim Murphy (R-PA-18) visited PIA’s West Mifflin campus.

• A staffer from Representative Bob Gibbs’ (R-OH-07) office visited Great Lakes Driving School’s Columbia Station campus.

• A staffer from Congressman David Scott’s (D-GA-13) office visited Roadmaster’s Atlanta campus.

• Representative Charlie Dent (R-PA-15) visited CDL.com at McCann School of Business & Technology’s Allentown campus.

• Senator Klobuchar (D-MN) visited Dart Transit Company’s headquarters based in Eagan.

• Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK-04) visited American Truck Training’s Oklahoma City campus.

Michelle Krueger, Ginny Carpenter, Jeff Hicks, William Dorish, Rep. Charles Dent, Miguel Osorio, Tim Borowski

JTL Truck Driver Training’s Larry Marsh & Rep. Bacon

Rep. Cole Visit to American Truck Training

Dart Transit’s Chairman of the Board, Donald G. Oren and Senator Klobuchar

Sen. Klobuchar speaking about her efforts in combating human trafficking

CVTA encourages all our member schools to meet with their elected officials – local, state and federal – and invite them to tour your campus. We have created CVTA’s Campus Tour Program that is designed to connect our members directly with their legislators, so they can build the foundation for strong and productive working relationships with key lawmakers.

If you are interested in learning more about how to host an elected official at your school, contact CVTA’s Director of Government Affairs Mark Valentini.

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A REPORT FROM THE ROAD Over the past several months, I have had the pleasure of visiting with many members and witness the great job they do to train, hire and support the next generation of commercial truck drivers. In learning about each member’s program – how it works, the problems or challenges they face and how CVTA can help, and what we can collectively do to better our industry, I came away with several observations.

First, there is so much pride and passion our members have in their training programs for the next generation of drivers. Members are not only passionate about safety and training, but equally so for helping individuals create a better future for themselves and their families. This passion is a huge asset for our association and industry, something we will look to harness to showcase the value our industry.

Second, the driver shortage is getting worse and CVTA schools and carriers must work as partners together to improve quality, pay, and job prospects. As an industry, we need to ensure the right people are getting into the industry. In a good economy with low unemployment, the quality, work ethic, and attitude of the individual is essential for success.

Many schools described their open and honest discussions they have with prospective students regarding jobs – both in the near term and the long term – but also describe the amount of work the individual will need to dedicate to their career path to be successful.

I was recently in Dallas for the Great American Trucking Show (GATS), where I had the privilege of spending time with some fantastic Americans and drivers, who were finalists in FASTPORT’s Top Rookie contest and the Trucking’s Top Rookie contest, which was named in honor of CVTA’s former Executive Director Mike O’Connell. In both contests, many of the finalists were former military. All had incredible life stories and displayed a dedication to their craft.

Don Lefeve with Trucking’s Top Rookie Award Winner Daniel Schonebarger (Melton Truck Lines)

In listening to the drivers’ biographies, one could not help but walk away with a renewed spirit of optimism. A renewed spirit that America’s best days lie before us, not behind, and that with individuals like these finalists, the future of our industry, and country, is bright.

The sense of purpose, community, and optimism instilled in these finalists is equally being shown in neighbors helping neighbors in Hurricane ravaged Texas. This same spirit also happens every day on our highways. Truckers helping stranded motorists, helping in their community, helping move our nations’ goods. This same sense of optimism and community is embodied within CVTA. (Cont’d on next

page).

To uphold its end of the partnership, carriers are improving driver pay, providing more home time, and are driver-focused now more than ever. Not only is driver quality essential, but driver retention is key to success. Again, I urge schools and carriers work together to help stem the driver shortage (to the extent possible). This issue will be discussed during a school and motor carrier-focused session at our Fall Conference in San Antonio.

Third, when watching the news over the past few months, it is easy to become pessimistic about the future of our country. However, there is more good news in this industry that goes underreported. Trucking is the fabric of America and I try to remind myself that 10,000 flights land safely daily, but this doesn’t make news.

Continental Truck Driver Training’s Rod Hurst proudly holding his CDL he obtained in August

Trans Tech’s Eric Wright

Visit to MTC Truck Driver Training

To illustrate this sense of community, let me share an email from a carrier member, who had received an email from a prospective driver who committed to a rival company. In the email, the student felt embarrassed when realizing that she emailed the wrong company. After apologizing to the recruiter, and acknowledging that she felt “rude,” the recruiter emailed her stating:

CV TA: OUT & ABOUT

“No no no!!! Not rude at all. I actually just finished sending your response to the VP of Recruiting at the company.

Wanted to let him know that you’re loving your experience there so he can pass it on to his team. We all might be competitors, but we love seeing and knowing that we are making a difference for our industry by providing a great driver experience for new pro drivers like yourself. Again, be safe, have fun, and thank you for being a professional driver for our industry!”

This sense of selflessness and commitment to our industry displayed by this recruiter is what makes CVTA a great association. Like America, I am optimistic that this association’s best days are still ahead.

Don delivering the keynote speech during the American Bus Association’s BISC Summer Meeting

Don Lefeve President & CEO

LET’S GET SOCIAL!

NAFPDS’ Martin Garsee & CVTA’s Mark Valentini as panelists on the Motor Carrier panel during WFBCON

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CVTA’s Mark Valentini & All State Career (Lester) Executive Director Robert Bubb

CVTA EVENTS 2017 - 2018 2017 FALL CONFERENCE September 27-29th San Antonio #SATXFall17

WE EMPLOY 7 million people.

WE BRING $682 billion in revenue to America.

WE DELIVER 80% of the nation’s freight exclusively by truck.

THAT’S HOW WE ROLL.

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WHO ARE WE? WE ARE AMERICA’S PROFESSIONAL TRUCK DRIVERS. We move more goods than any other delivery

method, across every economic sector in the nation. And we’re doing it more safely than ever before. If you’re proud of your role in the professional trucking industry, please, join us today.

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I N T H E D R I V E R S S E AT So, you want to be a truck driver? Have you thought about what it takes to be a truck driver, but most importantly, a professional one who is in it for the long haul?

I know a few things about preparing for and having a successful career in the trucking industry. I’m not just a school owner, I am a driver. I have had my Class A CDL for over 40 years and during that time, I’ve been an owner-operator, pulled a refrigerated trailer, done local delivery, and worked as a dispatcher for a fleet of over 20 trucks. While I’m no longer a full-time driver, I occasionally get behind the wheel of my 73’ rig and drive across the country. These occasional road trips allow me to understand the demands of today’s truck drivers, and in turn, pass along that valuable information to my students who will be the future drivers of tomorrow.

After logging many miles on the road, here are a few things to think about when making your decision to be a truck driver or instructing your students.

Top 10: What You Need to Know 1. Be on time. Dispatchers value a driver who shows up to work on time. Once you start your day, don’t worry about delays that are beyond your control. If you start your day with enough time to get on the road, good carriers will not push you or give you a hard time.

2. Do your inspections. A lot of your co-workers will not do their inspections, and some of them will give you a hard time when you’re doing your job and they aren’t. While tempting, do not engage with them in these instances. Go about your pre-trip as you were taught at the truck driving school. Besides, the pre-trip routine is a federal regulation so there’s no way of getting around it.

3. There’s no whining in the trucking industry. Every day you will be confronted with problems or issues at every turn – trucks break down, there’s traffic congestion, unpredictable and volatile weather, and shippers will delay you.

Don’t complain to your dispatcher Deal with it, professionally of course. It’s good practice to communicate with your dispatcher effectively and without any emotion. This professionalism will go a long way in how you will be treated.

4. Plan your trips. Parking is tight out there, so don’t expect to find a spot readily available when you need one.

Parking is at such a premium that there are apps available for truckers to find and reserve a parking space, even at some truck stops. Learn from your trainers on how they figure out where to park. While their experience will provide insight, you need to come up with a system that works best

for you.

5. GOAL! (Get Out And Look). Backing accidents are the number one problem for new drivers. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It happens to everyone. Being safety minded is a good quality. So, get out and look before backing that truck up.

6. Maintain your following distance. Discipline yourself and commit to a proper distance. In heavy traffic that means you must run 3 or 4 mph slower than traffic flow to keep your following distance. Embrace new technology applications that automatically keeps the distance for you.

7. Slippery when wet. Bad weather. It happens. Being mindful of safety regulations before being faced with hazardous road conditions, will better prepare you when they do occur. Take your time, and even stop when conditions warrant 8. Safety “Seal of Approval”. Work for an established carrier with a good safety record. Employment with a well-established, safety-minded carrier will ensure you have access to properly maintained equipment. One other thing, your paycheck will not bounce.

9. Expect to be recruited. With the driver shortage these days, chances are you will be approached at truck stops by a carrier or by other drivers convincing you to go to work for another company. Do not believe their claims as they are probably receiving a commission for recruiting you. Some companies pay up to $2,000 for the referral. Consequently, there will be false claims being made.

10. Stay healthy. Stay fit. Save money. Invest in a small refrigerator and buy your own food versus eating at restaurants. You will realize the return-on-investment with more money in your wallet and feel physically better through a healthy diet. If you are a local driver, pack your lunch in a cooler. Also, remember to stretch and do your exercises every day.

AUTHORED BY Bill Collins Owner Interstate Truck Driving School bill@interstatedriving.com

44 Canal Center Plz Suite 120 Alexandria, VA 22314 www.cvta.org