The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has introduced their 2010 Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010, which aims to improve truck safety for auto transport and other types of large hauling trucks as well as reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities related to auto transport and other large commercial vehicles. But this begs the question: what exactly are they planning?
Well, the FMCSA is looking at completely changing the way the auto transport industry works. Okay, maybe not completely, but there is a major factor that will play a major role in the way auto transport works: high speed rail lines are to be built across the United States, and the FMCSA is forecasting that commercial trucks aE" including major auto transport trucks aE" could be a thing of the past. Think about it: a train would be able to transport your vehicle at a fraction of the time for about the same cost as a major auto transport company today, all the while steering away from all the hazards that auto transport trucks tend to see on the roads aE" inclement weather, breakdowns, being too heavy at a weigh station aE" all that could be a thing of the past.
The plan is far from finished and it will take a long time for the United States to build all the new rail lines that they are planning on building, so the auto transport industry as it stands wonaE™t change much. However, if the FMCSA follows the advice of the United States Department of Transportation for the transport of vehicles, it very well could aE" instead of vehicles being transported by truck, theyaE™ll be transported by train, which would completely decimate the auto transport carriers that are currently operating. However, it is projected that completion of the proposed high-speed rail lines would be somewhere around 2030 aE" 20 years down the line. This may not seem too close, but for auto transport carriers (and brokers), itaE™s just a matter of time.






