Truckers Needed


We have a truck driver shortage.   Drivers are needed to keep our economy going .  As truck drivers stop driving to pursue other ventures or retire, they are not being replaced by a younger crop.  We need to encourage those needing employment to look into the transportation industry.  Freight haulers enjoy the freedom of the wide open road and see the country while earning a living.  As a freight broker I depend on and appreciate reliable truck drivers.  I rally behind anything that supports this critical arm of our industry.   Below are excerpts from Business Insiders explanation of why we have a shortage of drivers:

Higher driving costs and falling pay have created a truck-driver shortage that's likely to worsen in the coming years. The American Trucking Associations (ATA) estimates the U.S. is short 30,000 truck drivers — a number expected to surge to 239,000 by 2022.

"Smaller 'owner/operator' firms are increasingly dropping by the wayside as the cost of operations and maintenance are simply becoming too expensive to stay in business," Paul Pittman, a planner at a North Carolina-based logistics company, told Business Insider by email.  So drivers are suddenly faced with the choice of leaving the profession entirely or moving to a larger company where wages are likely to be lower. 

"As controls continue to tighten, many of the existing drivers currently employed are turning to other areas of employment simply to get off the road and escape some of the regulations implemented to govern their operations," Pittman said.

To hang on, small operators are forced to cut corners …

The article goes on to explain other reasons for the decline in drivers include trucker’s increased time away from home, under appreciation of the driver and dishonesty in recruiting. 

There may finally be some movement on this front. Last month, Swift, one of the largest haulers in the U.S., announced it would refocus expenditures on better labor conditions for employees, including higher wages.  To read the entire article click here.


Moving forward,

Jeff Roach
www.freightbrokertraining.com

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