Once again making clear the sometimes wide divide between large and small carriers on some of the industry’s key regulatory and operational issues, Todd Spencer of OOIDA and Ted Scott of ATA spoke in a point-counterpoint session May 17 at CCJ’s annual Spring Symposium in Birmingham, Ala., butting heads over electronic logging devices, speed limiters, allowing 18-21 truckers to drive interstate and more.
The pair agreed, however, that to solve the country’s widespread truck parking shortage, a unified effort is needed by the industry to push both public and private initiatives to expand the number of available truck spaces on major freight corridors.
On the coming electronic logging device mandate, Spencer, head of regulatory affairs for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, continued to toe his association’s line: The mandate places a greater compliance burden on owner-operators than it does larger carriers and, he says, constitutes a violation of drivers’ constitutional rights to privacy.
“We think it should be a business decision, not a government mandate,” he said. “The mandate certainly does not satisfy any reasonable cost-benefit analysis. The cost goes to the little guys, and the benefit goes to the big guys. We should demand better than that.”
Scott, head of engineering for the American Trucking Associations, rebutted Spencer’s points about small carriers and owner-operators bearing the bulk of the rule’s costs, saying ELDs cost the same for large carriers as they do small. Moreover, he said, claims that small carriers are against ELDs is “completely untrue.”
“ATA and its membership, both small and large carriers, are generally very happy with the rule and support it,” he said.
Scott also touted the safety and productivity benefits of ELDs, saying analysis done by ATA members shows ELDs allow drivers to spend more time during their 14-hour clock driving rather than filling in a log.
