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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