1. Truck drivers are the backbone of our economy, but they're also a dwindling breed
I have been asking the question, “Have you talked to your son or daughter about getting into trucking and becoming a driver?”. I’ve asked many times over the years to others both inside and outside the industry and the answer is 97% of the time a big NO. it’s a demanding job that takes a toll on family life, relationships, and extremely physically demanding on the body. Even professional truckers I talk to are not encouraging their kids to get into the business at the same pace they once did in the ’80s and ’90s. Are we at risk of skipping a generation?
Its a real fight for drivers
I traveled out to a Love’s Travel Plaza near Denton, Texas on Friday of Easter weekend. It was good to see so many on the road traveling as we get back to safe travel and businesses reopening due to Covid-19. I talked with several drivers that were excited about the business as freight demand is abundant, miles are good, and the compensation is strong due to demand.
Trucker’s resources for Covid-19 safety
2. The truck driver shortage is so bad that it's been called an "epidemic" by some experts
The industry has been talking about self-driving trucks and autonomous vehicles for several years now however I predict it will be many years before trucks will leave distribution centers without a professional driver in the cab. I do believe there will be opportunities for a driver to take a nap while the tractor is going down the road in the future but not any time soon. Truck driving schools did not produce many graduates in 2020 as many were forced to shut down due to the pandemic. We have a perfect storm in a bad way right now for new drivers coming into the industry.
3. In fact, there are more than 50,000 unfilled jobs for truckers in the US alone!
For multiple reasons but primarily for the risks associated with hiring a freshly minted CDL driver, most companies require 1-3 years of driving experience before a driver can get hired on simply to keep insurance premiums palatable. There was an article recently in Freighwaves about shifting in a new direction and hiring recent grads with virtually no experience. Check out the article here “Three reasons to hire entry-level CDL drivers in 2021” I’m curious about your thoughts on this and if your company would consider putting recent CDL graduate drivers behind the wheel of your $140,000 tractor and customers freight?
4.We need to find solutions fast before this problem gets any worse!
I visited with a large fleet recently with over 3,000 tractors. They have historically have run dedicated routes with drivers getting home every 2-3 days. Most would say this is a great driving opportunity and easy to retain drivers. “Nothing is easy in this business” they stated. Now, all new hire’s expectations are to get home every night? How is this possible and will the supply chain and way trucking companies have done business for many years be disrupted. For years fleets have been shifting to intermodal and using the rail system very effective for long haul lanes. Companies such as Steven’s Transport , Knight-Swift, and J.B. Hunt Intermodal frees up drivers’ time for shorter haul and keeps freight moving 24/7.
Keep your drivers smiling
Vehicle platooning is another technology to help improve driver safety by giving some controls such as breaking, distance following, and acceleration to the automated systems and allowing the driver the ability to relax which can draw here is a video semi-autonomous platooning - how it works
There are more excitement and buzz around transportation and logistics than ever before. I’m proud to be a part of this great industry and serve the American trucker!
For more information and how we can help your fleet contact Add On Systems