There is much debate between commercial truck drivers on what the future hold for the trucking industry.
Many drivers think that there will be many changes to the industry.
Standards that are put in place by the government with regards to length of truck driving school, maximum hours of driving and duty time, have some drivers believing that there will be a shift to a higher percentage of rail transportation.
Many drivers say that they expect that the amount of time spent in truck driving school will be increased in the near future.
Some drivers say that they expect to see the government mandate at least two to three times more schooling than the currently required.
With foreign regulations shifting to extremely strict regulations regarding the amount of total duty and driver time allowed, some drivers think that in the near future the federal government will also put strict regulations in place regarding total time.
Some foreign countries have already adapted to a model that limits the total amount of duty and driver time combined to eight hours.
Some drivers believe that the shipping industry as a whole will slowly shift more toward rails rather than trucking.
With the widening of the Panama Canal there will be enough room for two ships to travel at the same time.
By doing this the amount of fright traveling through can increase significantly and will lower the demand for trucking as the use of rail unloads increases.
There is no way to fully understand what the future of the trucking industry holds.