b'30American Journal ofTransportation ajot.com(INTERMODALcontinuedfollowedbyLille-Avignon-from page 27) Miramas and (Paris) Bonneuil-alsodoestransloadingasanMiramas services.additional service. When fully-operational this Cross-docking is also anSeptemberitwillbeableto important service within railhandlefour850-metre-long logistics.Essentially,cross- trainssimultaneously.The dockingremovesthecombi hubs equipment will storagelinkofthesupplyalsocomprisetworemote-chain. Products are unloadedcontrolledelectricgantry from a truck or railroad car,cranes,twoelectricreach sorted, and directly reloadedstackers, an electric road-rail ontooutboundtrucksorshunter,andastoragearea railcarstocontinuetheirof 10,000 sqm. The terminal journey.Productsgoingtowillhavethecapacityto thesamedestinationcanhandle 68,000 UTIs (intermodal easilybeconsolidatedintotransport unit) annually.fewertransportvehicles.Meanwhile, SNCF Rseau Alternatively,largeshipmentsisworkingonthecreation are broken down into smallerofinlandrail-roadtransport groupsforeasierdelivery.hubsservingFrancesbiggest Theendresultinbothcontainer port, Le Havre. One scenariosisaleaner,moreisunderdevelopmentnear efficient supply chain. Orlans, in central France. (source: ATA)So,whatexactlyisAnother example of port-intermodal? For most workingrailinterfacecomesfromthecontinuedweaknessinnight or travel with a spousefordrivers,manyofwhom in the supply chain, it is simplyNormandywhereBrittanythe freight market. are some of the ways truckingrun out of legal driving hours movingboxesfromtrucktoFerries is setting up a rollingDatafromtheBureaucompanies can attract drivers,due to these delays. In 2019, railandbackagain.Butasrail highway for the transferofTransportationStatisticsaccording to Siplon. He alsoastudyconductedbyATRI intermodalservicepackagesofUK-Ireland-France-Spain(BTS)reflectsthistrend.explained,Companiesthatfound that drivers reported a becomemorecomplexandroad-bornefreightoutoftheInJuly2024,unemploymentcan offer a guaranteed weekly27.4%increaseindelaysof intermodalhubsgrowtoPortofCherbourgandtheinthetransportationsectorminimumpaycheckareinasix hours or more. The report handle traffic, new terms willBasque Country on the French- washigherthanoverallgood position to hire drivers. alsostatedthattherewasa undoubtedlyemergetohelpSpanish bordera distance ofunemployment.WhilethereBeingpaidanyamountnearly 40% increase in drivers describe the way the freight isaround1,000kms.Thefirstis still a driver shortage in theofmoneypermilewithnoreportingthatmostoftheir being moved. trainsareearmarkedtorunU.S.today,accordingtotheguaranteeofthemilesapick-upanddeliverydelays from end-March next year. ATA, The shortage is primarilydrivercanexpecttologinwere due to customer actions.(FAVOREDcontinued fromqualitative. Trucking companiesaweekdoesnothelpwitharrIer oncernsare getting applicantsforopenfamilybudgetingifyoudoccpage 27) (VOLATILITYcontinued frompositions, but those applicantsnotknowhowmanymilesIn viewing the ATRI report highlighted the need for portspage 28) arenotabletobehiredforyouwilltravelinaweek.ofconcernsbycarriers,the andrailwaysinFrancetobegin to rebound and stabilizemanyreasonsincludingdrugThatdoesnotputfoodoneconomytoppedthelist increasetheircooperativein Q4. However, this view isuse and poor safety records. the table every week. along with fuel prices and the effortstoincreasethesharenot held by all stakeholders.One of the issues that haveHeviewstruckingasacost of insurance also noted of rail freight. Onestudysaysthattheled to a driver shortage in thedrivers market, with carriersas issues of concern.Hetooktheexampleoftimingremainsuncertainpastpersiststoday,theagingneeding to look at recruitingNuclearverdictshave thePortofCalais,amajorwithcarriersfacingongoingdemographic of current drivers.as sales. He also said, Retentionbeenascourgeontrucking gatewayforro/rotrafficchallengesduetoinflationManyarenearingretirementdoes not stop once you hireasthetrialbarcontinuesto betweenEuropeandtheand low volumes. age, and there are not enoughadriver.Withotheroptionsassaulttheindustry.These UK, where a major project isAccording to a report fromyoungerdriversenteringtheavailable,carriersmustoutsized and unjust awards put attractingpublicinvestmentBusinessInsider,thefreightprofessiontoreplacethem.alwaysbemindfulofthecompanies out of business and totaling83millioneurosenvironment is still depressed,AccordingtotheATA,andneedsoftheirdriversandmake it harder for companies (US$90.47 million). andmarketconditionshaveother sources, the average agetheir families. to invest in safety technology Theprojectisdividedremainedmuchweakerthanof a commercial truck driver inThe ultimate question isandequipment,saida intotwophases:thefirstpreviousexpectations.Forthe US is significantly higherwhat will the driver pool lookspokesperson for the ATA.entailsthemodernizationofexample,J.B.Huntpostedthantheoverallworkforce,like when the economy shiftThe lobbying organization the existing rail infrastructure,bothaprofitandsalesmissindicating a generational gap inas volumes again increase? and its state association partners whilethesecondfocusesonforthefirstquarteranditsthe industry. have worked diligently to enact the creation of a new line in thestock is down 21.3% year-to- It is challenging to attractt ruckerc oncerns anti-lawsuitabuselegislation port area. This will enable thedate. This is not typical of pastyoungerdrivers.ThenatureThe American Transportationatthestateleveltoprevent development of combined rail- performance by the company,ofthejobwhichoftenResearch Institute (ATRI) doeswhat the ATA calls predatory roadfreighttransportandtheone of the most successful inmeans long hours away froman annual survey of the issuesbehavior at the plaintiffs bar.possibility to triple rail freightthe industry. homeandtheperceptionmost important to carriers andTechnologyplaysalarge traffic from three to four trainsTheweakfreightmarketthattruckdrivingisaless- aseparatesurveyidentifyingrole in trucking today. Fleets use daily today to up to 15 round- hasledtoventurecapitalthan-desirablecareerpathdriverconcerns.Toppingthevarious transportation systems trip trains daily by 2040. firmsbeingmorecautiouscontributetotheissue.Inlistofdriverconcernsinthetooptimizetheiroperations, aboutinvestmentsinlogisticsaddition,federalregulationsmost recent survey are drivermaketheirbusinessesmore n eWt ermInals companies.Inareportissuedrequirecommercialtruckcompensation,truckparking,efficient,reducewastedtime, SNCFRseauisalsoinearly August2024,bythedrivers to be at least 21 yearsfuel prices, speed limiters, andandcutemissions.Withthe workingwiththePortofconsultingandresearchfirmoldtodriveoninterstatedetention or delays at customergovernmentnowmandating Marseille on a project attractingMcKinsey,venturefundinghighways,whichlimitsthefacilities. thatallcompaniesmust publicinvestmentofalmostintothelogisticssegmentfellpool of younger drivers whoThelackofadequatetruckreduceGreenhouseGasGHG 60 million (US$65.40 million)to $2.9 billion in 2023, downmightwanttobegintruckparking is a safety risk. Accordingemissions to net zero by 2050 andencompassingurbanalmost 90% since it hit a peakdrivingcareerswhentheyto the ATA, Truck drivers needandtransportationaccounting development and the creation ofof $25.6 billion in 2021. Lastgraduate from high school atsafe,secure,andaccessiblefor28%ofthenations new combined freight terminals. yearsfundinglevelwasthe18 years of age. parking to avoid being robbed,totalGreenhouseGasGHG In a separate development,lowest in the sector since 2015. How does a stable truckinginjured,orworse.Parkinginemissions, and over 40% tied intermodalterminaloperator,Q ualItatIVes hortagecompanyhirethebest-of- unprotectedareascanalsoto freight providers, companies OpenModalGroup,hasthe-besttruckdrivers?Siplonexposedriverstocrimeslikeare actively exploring strategies announcedtheopeningofaRegardless of when or ifsaid the key to recruiting andassault and murder. to reduce emissions. state-of-the-arthubforswapconditionswillimprove,theretainingqualifieddriversisDriversmusttakeaAscarriersandshippers bodiesandcontainersinreality today is that many peopleto offer better work conditions10-hour break after every 11recoverfromthedifficult Miramas,ontheoutskirtsofhave lost jobs. According to anand overall compensation. Hehoursofdriving,andtheydynamicsofthepastfew Marseille.TheterminalhasATAspokesperson,Truckingsaid, If a company only hasoftenspend5658minutesyears, shippers will have more attractedpublicandprivateemployment started decliningjobsthatkeepdriversontheadaylookingforparking.options, and carriers will look investment estimated at almostyear over year in June 2023road for two weeks at a time,This can add an hour to theirfor innovative ways to improve 40 million (US$43.60 million). andisstilldecliningtoday.itwillbehardertorecruitworkdaysandcostthemanall aspects of their operations, The new terminal welcomedIn total, we have lost 35,000qualified drivers. average of $4,600 per year. makingthemmoreresilient its first train late-April, arrivingjobs in for-hire trucking sinceHealthcarebenefitsandDetention at a customersand better equipped to face any from Nancy, in eastern France,last year, which lines up withthe ability to be home everyfacility can also be a problemfuture supply chain disruptions.'