The Trucking Industry is Facing a Major Shortage: How You Can Help
Trucking needs YOU
Updated March 2022
Our nation depends on the trucking industry. Many long-haul drivers will be retiring or simply leaving for new careers in the next few years. While automated vehicles will help fill the gaps in some areas, they won’t solve the problem. We desperately need drivers in the trucking industry; will you answer the call?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the trucking industry will need 230,000 drivers each year for the next ten years to make up drivers leaving and increased demand, and another 122,000 to fill demand in 2022 alone. There simply aren’t enough drivers.
How the Trucking Industry is improving
In 2022, the government created a new action plan to help get more drivers into trucking careers. The Trucking Action Plan has been designed to help states increase the speed at which they issue CDL’s. There is also an expansion of a Registered Apprenticeship program to train drivers effectively and safely while still earning money.
The trucking industry has also introduced the Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) Mandate. The ELDT Mandate has been put into place by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to ensure training standards for all students at all schools meet the necessary requirements for CDL training. As a result, students will be adequately trained to be on the road quickly while also making trucking safer.
Trucking companies are also doing their part to try and reduce the driver shortage by increasing the number and quality of benefits drivers receive and raising pay to be highly competitive. Drivers have seen a rise in average pay up to $60,000+ for first-year drivers.
AN IMAGE PROBLEM
When asked to imagine a truck driver, many people either picture a gruff old man who has perpetually lived his life on the road or the Bandit (RIP Burt Reynolds!) These two stereotypes may be the reason that a lot of people don’t, or won’t, pursue a career in trucking. However, we all know that there’s no such thing as a “trucker,” simply because truck drivers come in all shapes, sizes, and genders.
The trucking industry also has an unfortunate reputation of being a hard job to hold down. Most would assume that the life of a truck driver is dictated by bosses who overwork and underpay their employees. These conditions are steadily improving, but the stigma remains.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Whether you’re looking for a career for life or simply find yourself in need of a change, truck driving could be the industry for you! Your first step will be to obtain your CDL Class A. A CDL Class A is like an all-access pass to more jobs than you could ever imagine. You don’t have to be grizzled or determined to spend your life outrunning the law. All you need is determination, drive, and a love of the open road.
