Industry Change Starts from Within: Let's Fix the Trucking Industry in 2025

Industry Change Starts from Within: Let's Fix the Trucking Industry in 2025 When I look at the topics we are talking about this month I see a common theme, the training process. On both sides of the border recent reports from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance among others shows that our industry has to really get back to basics. Hundreds of trucks out out of service for brake violations, drivers cheating the Electronic Logging Systems with ghost drivers, and a general lack of professionalism across the board have many of the veterans shaking their head and others leaving the industry. From what we can see it all starts with training. In one way it’s good that the safety of our roads have come to light because people are fed up enough to do something about it. On the other hand it’s sad it has taken this long for us to reach this point and it is because we have been waiting for Governing Bodies to step in and they aren’t doing it. We need to take on the battle as an industry!  How do we take on the battle? Our industry has to police ourselves and that means shippers, carriers, insurance providers, and enforcement working together. That means having standards that are upheld across the board by willing to make decisions that are for the greater good. It means creating training standards across the Provinces along with opening up Trans Provincial Trade making it easier to work across Canada in the industry. If you think about it trucking started because of the War and now we find ourselves in our own war. This industry has been good to so many of us and I know I would hate to see it dissolve because nobody could work together.  This month we share many discussions and interviews on the industry in general from how to improve it through training to changes in technology and professionalism in the industry. Maybe we have to go back to the days of licenses to haul certain goods. It seems we have gone back in time in the regulations and hopefully enforcement will get us back on track. Let’s put common sense back in the industry, let’s raise our standards to earn the respect drivers deserve and have an industry we can all be proud of, but that will take working together and it needs to start now!  Subscribe to the podcast to listen to the ideas, interviews, and information and help us be part of the change for 2025.  About the Author Bruce Outridge has been in the trucking industry for over 40 years. With 25 years behind the wheel across North America and now covering the industry through Lead Pedal Media he has many insights as to the state of today's trucking industry and offers tips through his podcast on how to have a good career in trucking. You can learn more about Bruce and his work at www.BruceOutridge.com  Listen to the The Lead Pedal Podcast Tune in to the Lead Pedal Podcast for valuable trucking tips and entertaining tales for drivers in 2024. Stay informed and entertained with the latest in the trucking industry. Don't miss out on this resourceful podcast designed to keep you engaged and informed on the road.  Subscribe now for weekly episodes! www.theleadpedalpodcast.com