What Our Clients Say
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Being kings of the road is no longer what truck drivers are called since trucking has lost some of its shine. In fact there are many reasons why truck drivers no longer wish to be out on the road. With the economy getting back on its feet, truck drivers of the past & future are now looking for jobs in construction or in factories allowing them to stay closer to home so that they do not have to be out there literally living it on the road.
According to the American Trucking Association (ATA) there is a shortage of 35, 000 truck drivers and this is not all. If this state of affairs continues then there is likely to be further shortage in the coming years. This could very well build up to a huge shortfall in the next five years. This shortage is beginning to affect the major carriers, and pushing up freight rates might just not work out especially as trucking companies have no option but to offer bonuses to get drivers to fill up the posts. Even the incentives are not proving to be effective as the shortfall is growing to such an extent that carriers are struggling to deliver goods.
Other reasons why there is a shortage of truck drivers are that now Federal rules have changed. There is enforced rest so drivers do not get to spend as much time behind wheels. This means that drivers could be on the road but they are not getting paid for it as they are not driving but resting. They are no longer the knights who ruled the road and roamed the open spaces at will almost.
Since insurance rates have gone up most truck companies are not willing to hire drivers younger than 23 years. This means that most teenagers just out of high school looking for other jobs or go to college. Once they come out of college their views have changed and they have no desire to undergo training for truck driving. Teenagers who do not go to college say that if they have to wait five years for a job and find the resources to pay for their training; then a truck drivers’ job is not worth the wait.
The recession forced many truck drivers out of jobs. Those drivers who stayed on somehow are now nearing retirement but younger drivers are not available. The economy is on the mend but jobs are available in other sectors too so why would anyone want a hard job of driving an 18 wheeler. Oil companies are cutting jobs and though trucking companies expected people to join as drivers but that does not seem to be the case, as no one wants to be long hours on the road away from home.
Gene SmithOperations ManagerLoadWatcher.com allows our entire team the ability to locate any carrier from one dashboard.
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