Roeth: We won’t fail at solving the clean transportation challenge

I am not a big fan of the expression, “Failure is not an option.” But I must admit it is apt when applied to the trucking industry’s move to find cleaner ways to transport goods. We can’t afford not to find a way to reduce tailpipe emissions given the disproportionate amount of greenhouse gas emissions trucks put into the atmosphere and the fact that we are such a vital part of the economy.

I understand that this is hard to do. I heard a lot of people talking about how difficult this challenge is at this year’s ATA MC&E conference. People were complaining about the situation and are naturally worried about the future. Sometimes I was tempted to ask the person who was complaining if they felt so passionately, maybe they should just leave trucking and go sell shoes or take their talents to an unrelated industry.

I am fairly confident that if I had asked you that question, you would have told me that you love the trucking industry but are concerned about the murky future and frustrated about the uncertainty we are facing. I get it, but let’s figure it out and get it done.

It is interesting observing that the truck makers are working on near-zero and zero-emissions vehicles and that a host of groups are suing the EPA, saying the rules are too aggressive and cannot be met at a reasonable cost in the timeframes required. They must continue, and I believe will figure out practical solutions to these challenges.

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We’ve faced challenges like this in the past, and one thing I know about people in the trucking industry is that we persevere, put our heads down, and keep working until we collectively find a solution that works in the real world while keeping costs as effective as possible.

I tend to be an optimistic person, but after nearly 40 years in the trucking industry, I am also a realist. I know that a lot of thought, effort, and hard work has already gone into solving the problem of making trucking cleaner.

I know there is still a lot more work to be done, but this is one of those times when failure is not an option. Food, medicine, clothing, etc. all need to be delivered regularly and while doing our part to clean up the air.

Good thing trucking has a history of not failing when faced with big challenges.