Theses and Dissertations

Advisor

McConnell,T. Eric

Committee Member

Grebner, Donald L.

Committee Member

Auel, John B.

Committee Member

Tanger, Shaun M.

Committee Member

Grala, Robert K.

Date of Degree

5-16-2025

Original embargo terms

Immediate Worldwide Access

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

Major

Forest Resources (Forestry)

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Forest Resources

Department

Department of Forestry

Abstract

Challenges impacting Mississippi log trucking businesses include escalating production costs, labor shortages, aging ownership, and rising liability insurance premiums. These concerns are transmitted back to loggers, landowners, and the entire forest products industry, reducing their contributions to the state’s economy. Lack of current knowledge concerning the adaptation of Mississippi log trucking companies under adverse business conditions necessitated a statewide mixed-mode survey to determine the industry’s structure, the nature of liability insurance premiums, and business owner perceptions about driver hiring and profitability. Mississippi log trucking business owners and drivers were predominantly middle-aged, with fewer individuals under the age of 40. Log truck driver training, safety practices, and safety technologies were not implemented uniformly across industry groups. Approximately one-third of responding businesses did not implement various safety practices, and more than 50% did not regularly implement truck driver education initiatives. Log trucking business characteristics significantly influencing liability insurance premiums were identified through a semilogarithmic hedonic regression model. Marginal implicit prices were calculated to reveal an average per unit monetary contribution of each significant attribute while holding the others constant. The largest marginal implicit prices associated with log trucking insurance premiums were related to safety violations ($3,322 per violation) and overweight loads ($1,311 per violation). Implementing safety practices and equipment did not directly provide discounts, but failing to avoid citations resulted in increased insurance premiums. Mississippi log trucking business owners largely agreed concerning worsening labor markets and profit margins. More emphasis was placed on driver shortages and failed drug tests, but over 50% of respondents rated uncompetitive pay and lack of employee benefits as having important impacts on hiring qualified drivers. Mississippi log trucking business owners rated factors relating to production costs and trucking rates as having the highest impacts on profitability. The sustainability of the Mississippi log trucking industry can be improved through expanded cooperation with the forest products industry, initiatives to recruit qualified drivers, and uniform implementation of driver training and safety practices, which can indirectly lower costs by preventing safety violations and costly crashes.

Sponsorship (Optional)

Mississippi Sustainable Forestry Initiative State Implementation Committee (MS SIC)

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