Charles "Shorty" Whittington, chairman of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), is known for his folksy play-it-straight commentary. And that's just what he delivered in his address at NASSTRAC's 2009 Logistics Conference and Expo last month in Orlando, Fla. The genial, white-haired Whittington kept the audience laughing even as he described in painful detail the challenges facing motor carriers today. Among his observations:

• Motor carriers are putting everything they have into opposing the Employee Free Choice Act, which could greatly increase union penetration of the trucking industry. "Millions of dollars are being spent in Washington to explain the problems EFCA would cause to congressmen and senators," Whittington said.
• Trucking companies are also concerned about attempts by public safety groups to overturn the current hours-of-service (HOS) rule, which was updated in 2003. During the ATA's winter board meeting, Whittington said, some 275 trucking executives called on legislators from 44 states to urge them to resist calls to roll back the regulations to the pre-2003 standard. Safety records have greatly improved under the new regime, the carrier executives told lawmakers, and the current regulations should remain in force.
• The trend toward distribution networks with more DCs and warehouses—thus reducing distances from DCs to destinations—may save shippers money but it's costing drivers. "Drivers get paid by the mile, and these shorter runs affect their ability to make a living," Whittington said.
• The driver shortage is over—for now. One large carrier Whittington knows of received 5,000 applications for 90 positions recently. Carriers will have to redesign their training programs for new hires as states place more restrictions on who can handle what types of cargoes, he predicted. Alabama recently began requiring drivers to be tested and certified to tie down steel coils on flatbeds, Whittington said, and other states will likely start issuing training requirements of their own.