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Last week on October 5th- 8th the American Trucking Association (ATA) held its 86th annual Management Conference & Exhibition. Over 2,700 leaders in the trucking industry convened at the San Diego Convention Center to discuss key issues impacting their industry. Some of major topics of discussion along with the ATA’s plan of action are listed below.

Who likes to share their thoughts? Do you like to express your opinions out loud? Well if you’re in the transportation industry, then the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) wants you to do just that! Recently the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed the much anticipated changes to the hours of service rules. The aim is to increase truck drivers’ flexibility while on the clock, and with drivers being the main subject, the FMCSA wants to hear from them!

According to reports, Iran is quickly going to breach the Uranium-stockpile limit set by the current nuclear deal.  President Hassan Rouhani of Iran has already warned that a new deal needed to be in action by Sunday June 7, 2019 or the Islamic Republic will increase enrichment of Uranium.  Globally, there is much concern with the growth rate of Iran’s uranium cache, because they are just a step away from weapon-grade levels of uranium.

New big rig player, Nikola Motors, is looking to add their mark in the transportation industry.  Nikola is a startup operation based in Arizona that is “all in” on Hydrogen powered semi-trucks. While the theory of Hydrogen powered transportation has proven to be enticing, the actuality has eluded engineers over the past 50 years.  The largest hold back in the eyes of Nikola Motor, is that the tank sizes necessary for passenger vehicle operation has proven to be bulky and inefficient.   Nikola Motors is thinking around the scenario.  If you can’t condense the storage, increase the vehicle size.