November 2, 2022
The trucking industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the US market. In fact, the majority of US domestic overload freight is transported through trucks. In 2019, the sector was valued at $791,7 billion. Furthermore, in 2022 it was reported that the number of truck drivers in the country is around 1.53 million. These numbers demonstrate the huge growth potential of the trucking industry. Nowadays, 80% of American companies depend on trucking as their main provider of transportation services. However, no matter the current sizes and the future trends of the industry, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed.
Firstly, the issue of being environmentally friendly is still unresolved. With huge demand, a large number of trucks and other equipment are needed to supply the necessary logistics. However, with the growing number of trucks, the greenhouse gas emissions increase as well, which negatively impacts the already existing air pollution. Nowadays,the best transportation companies, like MDB Transportation, try to integrate different sustainability practices into their day-to-day operations and thus contribute positively to the protection of the environment. To help resolve this issue further, California’s new regulation states that by 2035 100% of new cars and light trucks sold in the state will be zero-emission vehicles. Before diving deeper into these recent regulations and understanding its impact, let’s look at the transportation system in general.
Transportation infrastructure has a huge impact on the social, economic and environmental conditions of any country. To prove this statement through data, it is worth mentioning that transportation takes up 62% of global oil consumption, 27% of energy use, and 23% of carbon dioxide emissions. As can be seen, the numbers are quite substantial. Therefore, if some regulatory measures are not taken into account by both governments and companies that are environmentally friendly, then the global issues of air pollution, noise pollution, and many more problems will remain present.
One of the biggest issues that almost all transportation companies face is the lack of data. Surely, those companies that generate high returns on investment are considered profitable. However, what is the right amount of spending on a transportation company to make sure that it is both profitable and sustainable? No matter the growth rates of the market, this question is still answered through approximate forecasts. Therefore, accurate cost calculations and data-driven decision-making should be prioritized in the industry moving forward.
As already mentioned earlier, sustainability is another major trend that transportation companies in California and not only should address. Some companies adopt the zero-emission policy by investing in electric trucking equipment. Other companies invest in different projects conducted by several organizations aimed at environmental protection. In the upcoming section, we will some of the major trucking equipment types which are eco-friendly.
Nowadays, many transportation companies have started to invest in equipment that works with alternative sources of energy, instead of fuel and gas. Some of the renewable energy sources used are hydrogen, electricity, solar power, and biodiesel. Below we listed some of the most widely-used eco-friendly truck types.
The first type is called an articulated truck. These trucks are defined by their rated payload. Even though this equipment does not come with sustainable fuel, it can be adjusted to operate with alternative sources of energy. Another major benefit of these trucks is their versatility. They can be used for several actions including, but not limited to mining, aggregate hauling, scrapping, and recycling.
The second type of sustainable truck is called a dry van. However, the eco-friendly feature of this equipment is not connected with the type of fuel used. These trucks are enclosed and prevent the load from falling during the transportation of goods. Therefore, dry vans prevent trucks from littering the streets and causing any other environmental hazards.
Before getting into the latest trends in the transportation industry, let’s try to understand what truck driving is and what it entails. A truck driver is an individual who simply transports cargo from one place to another. Mostly, trucks are used to transport products from manufacturing facilities to different warehouses, or wholesale/retail locations. With the growing demand for logistics and transportation companies in the market, the driver shortage is also present. One of the major reasons for this is COVID-19 and its aftereffects. Therefore, if you are interested in the trucking industry, there is no better time than now to become a driver.
However, when making a choice of joining a particular transportation company, make sure that it has integrated zero emission transportation practices. You may wonder what that has to do with the company’s employment benefits. Customers have become more eco-conscious in every industry that they interact with. Therefore, those transportation companies that keep up with the sustainability demands of the market, such as MDB Transportation, will stay relevant and popular.
Speaking of the recent trends in the transportation industry, let’s take a look at self-driving trucks. Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies, such as sensors, self-driving trucks are no longer hard to imagine. However, even though the idea is well-articulated, it has yet to become a reality.
Another recent technology worth mentioning is a tracking device. Geofencing, which is a location-based service, allows companies to track real-time locations and the best routes for truck drivers. This improves efficiency and cuts the delivery time.
Last, but not the least trend that most environmentally friendly companies, like MDB Transportation, keep up with is the integration of electric vehicles into the company’s equipment variety. The environmental impact of MDB is equal to taking 100 cars off the road or planting 12,082 trees.
After looking at the transportation trends, it became more clear that sustainability is a practice that the best transportation companies follow. However, being more eco-conscious is not simply for the sake of keeping up with the trends. With the current rates of global warming, and air and noise pollutants, integrating eco-friendly practices is a necessity.
Taking into consideration the reasons mentioned above, let’s understand what sustainable transportation is.
Companies that are environmentally friendly concentrate on the following factors: satisfaction of people’s expectations in relation to the ecosystem and human health, affordability, efficiency, variety of transportation fleet, limited waste creation, and greenhouse gas emissions.
To make sure that more transportation companies are shifting toward becoming more environmentally friendly, there are several steps that can be taken. The first one is promoting the Green Highway Partnership program. The aim of this program is to use permeable materials for the construction of new routes. The second important step would be improving the efficiency of the freight. Advanced technologies nowadays give the opportunity to estimate the distance between locations and devise the shortest and most efficient routes. The top transportation companies, like MDB Transportation, make use of this technology already.
Harbor Trucking Association (HTA), which is an intermodal carrier alliance based in West Los Angeles, has considered MDB Transportation one of the first-class transportation companies. Being included in the Member Spotlight of HTA means that MDB is among those environmentally friendly companies that brings awareness to sustainability and its importance in the transportation industry. With customer satisfaction, and eco-consciousness as the main pillars of the company’s mission, this recognition by HTA is a huge accomplishment for MDB Transportation.
As one of the best environmentally friendly companies, MDB Transportation has set an objective of achieving zero emissions through its operations. The recent activities of the company are equivalent to replacing 78,460 gallons of diesel with natural gas and planting over 433,043 trees. In addition to meeting all of the corporate social responsibilities, MDB Transportation also takes pride in its fast and superior customer service.
Lastly, California has one of the highest rates of traffic and greenhouse gas emissions than any other state. What some transportation companies in California can adopt from MDB is the regulation of the used fuel’s quality. One way to do this is by integrating compressed natural gas into the trucks, which lowers the greenhouse gas emission rate.
As a final note, we would also like to touch upon the future of the transportation industry. The increase in fuel prices is a major challenge for many transportation companies. However, it is also an opportunity for the further and faster development of the environmental service industry. Additionally, with the technological advancements and integration of data analysis, transportation companies will improve their operations, allowing the industry as a whole to evolve and thrive
