"Most of us remember when the only common thread between trucking and technology was the letter T."
That's obviously no longer the case, and it was well demonstrated during McLeod Software's annual user's conference last week in McLeod's headquarter city of Birmingham, Ala.

The comment above was made by U.S. Xpress Co-Chairman and Truckload Carriers Assn. Chairman Pat Quinn during Thursday's opening session. U.S. Xpress is well-known for its early adoption of technology. Today, Quinn said, there is more computer power onboard a tractor-trailer than the Apollo astronauts took to the moon.
Key technologies Quinn sees for the future include untethered trailer tracking and electronic braking. Trailer tracking will allow carriers to keep fewer trailers in their fleet, as well as help prevent the theft or misplacing of trailers. Electronic braking is proven in Europe, Quinn says, with a significant reduction in stopping distance. U.S. officials are just beginning testing of the technology - but at least they're finally testing it, he said.
Technology is also playing an important role in TCA's initiatives, Quinn said. The Truckload Academy's first product, the Daily Dispatch Challenge software, is a CD-ROM based training program with more than 70 training scenarios. In addition, a new series of monthly audio conferences on topics such as cash flow and cargo theft will be available on the Internet.
The software conference didn't just dwell on technology, although there was plenty of hands-on training available on McLeod's LoadMaster software and other products. Business issues were covered, as well. Breakout sessions looked at topics such as the high cost of insurance, the new drug testing regulations, driver recruitment and retention, ideas to enhance profits, fuel management and developing a driver handbook.
One hot topic was the cost of insurance, which came up during Quinn's question-and-answer session, as well. Trucking insurance has skyrocketed, and the recent terrorist attacks may well send it higher. Quinn noted that one of the problems is that insurance companies traditionally make money by investing premiums in the stock market - and with the poor performance of the stock market, they've been losing money instead. Large court judgements and out-of-court settlements have also driven costs up in the trucking industry. In one of the breakout sessions focusing on insurance, horror stories abounded of trucking companies paying through the nose for accidents that were not their fault.
The business topics were important for companies struggling with a down economy. McLeod founder and president Tom McLeod said that in his company's customer base of about 400 companies, during the last 18 months about 2 percent have gone out of business, and another 2 percent to 3 percent have been in a merger or acquisition. Many companies are just hanging on, he says.
"The surprising thing to me has been that many companies are doing very well," McLeod said. "You have to listen close; they're embarrassed to talk about it because so many other companies are doing poorly."
VSF Transportation is one such company. The small-to-medium-sized fleet out of Wyoming, Mich., is growing, said company officials who were attending the McLeod conference to evaluate their software. Their area of the country, a big furniture making region, is thick with trucking companies. As some go out of business, VSF has been able to pick up customers.
William Canary, interim president of the American Trucking Associations, addressed attendees Friday morning. He noted that the trucking industry has evolved from pistons and iron to sophisticated mobile technology.
Following the Sept. 11 attacks, Canary said, our country is fighting two battles: one is the fight to preserve our freedoms and overcome fear. The other is to keep our economy moving - and that's where trucking comes in. And information technology, he said, means progress: the economic fueling of the next generation.
"President Bush said we will define our times, not be defined by them," Canary said. "The trucking industry needs to do the same thing."

Next year's user's conference will be Sept. 25-28. For more information, visit www.mcleodsoftware.com.