Trucking companies having been turning down load requests due to unavailability. Manufacturers are experiencing backups on their docks and late or canceled appointments due to the hard time they are having finding a trucking company with the capacity to move their freight.
The problem is not so much as having a large enough fleet to accompany incoming freight requests but having enough drivers to transport these goods. And that problem is about to get worse.
Come next year, the driver shortage is expected to hit 200,000, this number increasing to nearly 2 million by 2018, The U.S. Department of Transportation predicts (http://www.oxfordpress.com/news/oxford-news/shortage-of-drivers-looms-for-u-s-trucking-industry–1217966.html).
According to The Oxford Press, 3.5 million drivers are employed annually, and with the average driver being 51-years-old, many of those entering into the industry are of the new generation replacing jobs from those who have retired. But there are problems associated with a younger generation.
As the site notes, individuals drawn into the trucking industry for a variety of reasons, often find that their expectations are not fully met, leading only about 10 percent to remain in the industry.
Whereas regional transport companies may allow drivers to work a more regular workday with weekends off, this is often not the case in the trucking industry, the site explains. It is this younger generation that is often tossed into unwanted hours/days in what is called a Catch-22… “recent graduates need experience to get the job they want but cannot get it unless they “pay their dues” working for companies that may have them out for longer periods of time,” and this draws them out of the industry, the site continues.
This leads to another problem with a new generation of drivers…inexperience. New regulations such as the CSA 2010, revised hours of service (HOS) proposal, as well as more advanced drug testing (see Follicle Drug Testing Further Adds to Driver Shortage, Reducing Availability by Nearly 15 Percent) set out to remove unsafe drivers from the roads in an effort to prevent accidents and open the door of opportunity for more qualified drivers.
Although regulations may be tougher, that shouldn’t stop you from pursuing a career in truck driving. Just look at all of the opportunities Road Scholar offers their drivers:
-Excellent Pay
-Benefits
-Full-time employees are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package
-Flexibility
-…in work schedules (Full-time and Part-time positions available)
-Home time!
-Great Work Environment
-An operations team that is friendly, courteous, and knowledgeable
-No discrimination
-Excellent equipment (We’ve never been cited for a piece of faulty equipment in an accident!)
-Once-in-a-Lifetime Experiences
-The ability to see new places/sights and meet new people
-Make a Difference
-Road Scholar Transport created the 10 Million Miles to a Cure Awareness Campaign, dedicating several trucks to charities such as Autism Speaks, Prostate Cancer Awareness, and the Children’s Craniofacial Foundation to help spread awareness and fight for a cure.
Apply today at http://www.roadscholar.com/employment.php.
State your comments/suggestions regarding the driver shortage below.
many trucking companies are closing their doors for good. As was the case Tuesday for one trucking company.
