WOMEN truck drivers were 83
WOMEN truck drivers were 83.3 per cent more likely than men to be delayed six or more hours on the job was one of the findings of a four-year study conducted by American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), of Arlington, Virginia. 'Men will aggressively insist on action at pick-ups and deliveries, but women patiently wait their turn. It's simply a case of the squeaky wheel getting the grease,' ATRI vice president Dan Murray told the Hong Kong Shipping Gazette.
Mr Murray said this not only hurts female drivers' pay, it also renders women less inefficient than men. This is offset by the fact that women have more than 80 per cent fewer accidents.
Separately, US Republican Senator from Kansas, Jerry Moran, is the 'Promoting Women in Trucking Workforce Act' to establish a body within the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to achieving this.
They say the trucking industry 'should explore every opportunity to encourage the pursuit of careers in trucking by women,' reported New York's FreightWaves.
The ATRI study also found that truckers' detention frequency and length has increased with negative impacts on driver productivity.
The analysis is based on over 1,900 truck driver and motor carrier surveys conducted in 2014 and 2018, said the synopsis of the study by the Arlington, Virginia-based think tank.
ATRI's analysis found drivers reported a 27.4 per cent increase in delays of six or more hours. There was a nearly 40 per cent increase in drivers who reported that most of their pick-ups and deliveries were delayed over the past 12 months due to customer actions.
The average excessive detention fee per hour charged by fleets was US$63.71, slightly less than the average per hour operating cost of $66.65 found in ATRI's Operational Costs of Trucking.
The negative impact of detention on carrier revenue and driver compensation may be greater among smaller fleets with 20 per cent reporting that they do not charge for excessive detention in order to stay competitive with larger fleets.
'ATRI's new detention research definitely helps us understand the full financial impact associated with detaining drivers,' said Edgar McGonigal, chief financial officer of Bestway Express. 'From a safety and economic perspective, this research gives the trucking industry new insight into how both carriers and drivers should implement driver detention strategies.'
The report also documents recommended practices that drivers and carriers believe will improve efficiency and reduce detention at customer facilities.
ATRI is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation's essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.
WORLD SHIPPING
