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ATA's Chris Spear: Over the past year, " ATA keeps its foot on the pedal despite dysfunction gripping our nation’s capital and statehouses."

The past few years have taught us that truck drivers don’t just deliver essential goods, they are essential workers themselves. It’s time to recognize that, and adopt a driver-first mindset.

For years, just-in-time supply chain practices were the name of the game for many companies. But in the aftermath of the pandemic and subsequent supply chain tangles, building up and keeping heavier inventories has come to the forefront as a core strategy. While there’s merit to both approaches, companies need to be prepared and take some action on unintended consequences of the new sea change.

Over the past few years, we have learned that the more we can do remotely, the more we can potentially mitigate disruptions to business. Across supply chains, a cloud-based transportation management system can help companies facilitate remote operations, allowing businesses — even small ones — to make smarter choices, reduce costs and be more competitive.

A question to ask the decision-makers in Washington: If the goal is to get more cleaner, greener trucks on the road, why does the federal government keep the 12% federal excise tax on the sale of a new truck?

Quantum computing might be a new frontier in easing logistics management.

Many technologies exist to help fleets monitor cargo in their trailers, but carriers must be mindful of how the cargo itself — including what it’s made of — might impact the effectiveness of their tracking systems, especially if they look to make a change. Better trailer management can also improve drivers’ job satisfaction by mitigating issues they sometimes face in detention time and finding empty trailers.

Truck parking is a major pain point for the industry, and needs more investment from the government. It’s time to get creative about urging that investment, and potentially look to an unconventional source to find it: states’ climate budgets.