The trucking industry is chronically short of drivers, and that isn’t likely to be fixed anytime soon. For someone considering a career in trucking, this is great news. Jobs are plentiful and聽companies are paying their truckers聽more than ever.
Why the Shortage
The main reason for聽the driver shortage聽is the聽increased need for聽cargo moving at the same time many聽baby boomers are aging out聽of driving jobs. Amazon and Walmart are examples of the increased need for cargo movement, selling increasingly more items by the internet. The economy is humming as well, which increases the number of goods moving over the roads.
Additionally, Electronic monitoring and maximum hours rules have聽increased the number of days it聽takes to complete longer trips. The improved safety is a plus,聽but longer trip times also聽mean an increase in the number of drivers needed.
Why it will Continue
At a time when more drivers are needed, there are many older truckers hanging up their driving gloves to retire. Dan Leathers, head of Werner Enterprises, recently told NPR in an that the average聽trucker is 10聽years older than the average worker. This means聽the aging of boomers hits trucking聽harder than other industries. In their 2017 Truck Driver Shortage Analysis, ATA’s chief economist estimated the driver shortage would increase to 174,000 by the year 2026 and that hiring would need to be about 90,000 drivers per year to meet demand.
How it will Improve
According to a by聽American Trucking Associations (ATA)聽of 100,000 drivers, pay for truckers rose 15 percent from 2013 to 2017.聽And the increase was even better, at 18 percent, for drivers working for private fleets. Improved benefits and bonuses are also being used to attract more drivers. For those entering the trucking profession, that’s bright news.
If you’re interested in a secure job that pays well, or if you’re just聽looking over career options, feel free to聽肠辞苍迟补肠迟听耻蝉 at 91影视. We’d be glad to talk with you!
