truck driver shortage

Global Trucking Leaders Meet in Geneva to Discuss Pressing Transportation Problems

November 27, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The International Road Transport Union, consisting of global transportation leaders, met in-person for the first time in two years to discuss the current obstacles regarding the environment, supply chain exacerbation, and the truck driver shortage.

“It was an opportunity to come together and discuss issues similar to what we do at [the annual Management Conference and Exhibition meeting],” said President of American Trucking Associations, Chris Spear. “We probably did not have one meeting that did not center around the driver shortage issue. It’s chronic around the world, and I think it’s amplified by the pandemic and the pressure it has put on the returning workforce.”

IRU held its November meeting in Geneva for industry experts around the globe; attendees included ATA’s Chairman, Harold Sumerford Jr. and Chief Economist, Bob Costello, along with Spear. Other transportation leaders from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa were also in attendance.

The truck driver shortage continues to be the current highest-priority issue in the United States trucking industry, as we are still currently short of 80,000 needed truckers–mostly for over-the-road work. This sector of the industry causes truck drivers to be on the road for days on end, which isn’t a very enticing job opportunity, especially given the work-from-home options now available to so many Americans post-pandemic.

ATA’s Costello noted that these problems are not unique to North America by any means, especially with so many drivers retiring early following the COVID-19 era or just reaching retirement age with so few younger drivers entering the industry.

“Not only do other countries have these issues, but they’re for the same reasons–it’s a high average age of drivers,” said Costello. “One of the things we talked about is that the European Union and the IRU are trying to lower the age for drivers from 21 to 18, like we just did in the infrastructure package.”

For drivers under the age of 21 to be trained to operate commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce, a pilot program has been launched as part of President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill.

Other countries are looking for ways to find similar solutions to help ease the shortage as much as possible.

“China has a labor shortage–a driver shortage–and it’s for the same reasons–lifestyle and time away from home,” added Costello. “We’re all very similar in that regard.”

Additionally, the issue around safe parking availability continues to be a major problem for American truckers–something that is also highly problematic in Europe, as observed by ATA.

“We saw this, personally, when we were driving on the highway,” said Costello of the parking problem in the EU. “There’s a lack of safe and secure parking in Europe. The trucks were lined up, even worse than they are in the U.S.”

American truck drivers and freight rail workers should look toward boosted collaboration with international counterparts, as well, Costello added.

“[These international industry members] were very interested in the much more collaborative modes in the U.S., and I explained to them that trucks and trains are much more complementary than competitors,” he said.

Still, global supply chain backup obstacles won’t see major solutions until later in 2022, many industry experts agreed.

“There are a lot of things we do not control, like a ship being stuck in the Suez Canal,” said Spear. “There are a lot of things that need to right themselves. We need to get people back to work, across all segments of the economy, not just trucking.”

To fix these issues, ATA has improved its collaborative efforts with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Spear noted.

“We at ATA have demonstrated here in the U.S. our willingness to shape sound, lasting policies with our federal regulators,” he said. “We have been at the table. We are moving our industry in this direction.”

These efforts come after the European Union adopted carbon dioxide emission-reducing standards for new commercial trucks starting in the model year 2025, with even stricter targets coming for the year 2030.

“Europe is moving so quickly, and there is a growing disconnect between their ability to meet those technology timelines for adoption,” said Spear. “We have to have this conversation. They need to stop — in the U.S. and Europe — chasing rainbows and unicorns and start having a realistic discussion [about] how we can go green, and how quickly we can actually do and manage those expectations with the American people and the European citizens, respectively.”

CDL Testing Days Expanded in Texas in Effort to Ease Shortage of New Truckers

November 25, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Truck driver license testing will be expanded to six days a week in Texas as a manner of addressing the current countrywide truck driver shortage. This shortage has further exacerbated the already-stretched-thin supply chain that has been hit by pandemic-related obstacles and the boost in e-commerce that came along with stay-at-home orders and exponentially high online shopping numbers.

According to the Department of Public Safety, those looking to receive a new commercial driver’s license or renew an existing one have been able to take the necessary test over three Saturdays in November within certain state offices.

“TXTA applauds DPS for opening CDL office locations for three Saturdays in November for CDL transactions only,” said John D. Esparza, President and CEO of the Texas Trucking Association. “The ongoing lack of commercial driver license drivers combined with the backlog of CDL appointment times contribute to the driver shortage and as a result, the supply chain challenges we are experiencing.”

Until now, these commercial driver license tests were only available between Monday and Friday.

“We’ve all seen reports, or personally felt the impact, of the severe strain our supply chain is currently facing,” said department director, Steven McCraw. “By adding CDL services at select offices, we can get more qualified commercial drivers out on the roads to move more goods to Texans across the state and help meet the demand.”

Although adding these testing days will allow for more drivers to receive their commercial licenses–especially for applicants who are unavailable to take the test during the week, the priority should be on welcoming the safest and most highly-trained truckers into the industry, noted Levinson and Stefani’s Jay Stefani.

“Trucking companies need to find new drivers, and that’s great, so long as they’re hiring safe, qualified, and experienced drivers,” he said. “Extending CDL office hours is a way to make sure nobody is rushing these new drivers through testing. Nobody wants a trucker on the road that was hurried through the licensing and testing process.”

Luckily, some improvement initiatives within the trucking industry are also helping to address the shortage, and driver training schools have seen increased enrollment numbers lately. Some industry experts believe this change is due to the amount of positive public attention that has been centered around truckers and their efforts during the pandemic era.

Additionally, a pilot program to allow younger drivers to become qualified to drive interstate trucking has been incorporated into President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill, as well. This initiative will likely help these young drivers to be trained and hired more easily than ever.

“I think this is a step in the right direction,” said Jeremy Reymer, founder and CEO of DriverReach. “If the data proves young people can drive [safely], even [more safely] than their counterparts who are over 21, I think it will lead to a longer-lasting federal rule, but that may be five or 10 years down the road.”

Still, incentivizing qualified drivers to enter the trucking industry is requiring a lot of extra effort from trucking companies–something that will continue into 2022.

“In this market, unless you’re a top-tiered paying company and your drivers are going home every day, it’s going to be a challenge,” said vice president of driver recruitment at Roehl Transport, Tim Norlin. “There is no silver bullet. We’re all short [on] drivers, and there are not enough coming in.”

Roehl has increased its drivers’ wages to over $1,400 a week–a considerable increase to $72,000 a year from 2020’s $59,800 a year–in an effort to entice more truckers to join the company.

“All we are doing is chasing each other’s drivers with higher cents per mile, a bigger sign-on bonus, more paid time off,” Norlin said.

Recruiting military veterans into the industry (around one-quarter of all current trucker drivers are veterans) will also be helpful for the industry as a whole in addressing the long-running shortage, according to the vice president of business development for Veterans in Trucking, Matt Roland.

“We want trucking companies to identify the military veteran population,” Roland said, “and we want to connect the veterans to trucking companies, and we want to ensure those trucking companies have the resources available to hire these veterans.”

Lack of Trucker Candidates Worsens Driver Shortage

November 16, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

“I think for a lot of drivers last year, they saw that they couldn’t get home, and once they did get home, they saw the things they were missing in their families’ lives, and it makes you take a look at that,” said vice president of client services for Conversion Interactive Agency, Steve Sichterman, in regards to the growing worries over the truck driver shortage.

The continuing shortage, tough labor market, and increasing number of drivers testing positive for alcohol or drugs are causing relentless obstacles for trucking industry companies and their recruiters–a major concern that was discussed during the annual Recruitment and Retention Conference. This was the first meeting of its kind for recruiting professionals to gather since before the pandemic.

Recruiters explained that they have witnessed more and more truck drivers seeking roles allowing them to drive regionally instead of over-the-read and to be at home much more often than in the past.

“I think all of us have taken a look at our lives and said, ‘This is where I want to be and what I want to do,’” Sichterman continued.

As there aren’t currently sufficient numbers of potential new drivers entering the industry, trucking company recruiters are now competing heavily against one another.

To incentivize drivers to sign on with the company, Roehl has boosted wages to over $1,400 a week–an increase to $72,000 a year from 2020’s $59,800 a year.

“All we are doing is chasing each other’s drivers with higher cents per mile, a bigger sign-on bonus, more paid time off,” Norlin said.

Making matters worse, 91,370 truckers were deemed ineligible of operating a commercial motor vehicle after a positive drug or alcohol test; of those, only less than 20,000 have requested reinstatement, according to program chief for FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, Bryan Price. Over half of the disqualifications found were for marijuana or other violations involving THC, and another 13% included drivers who refused to take a test at all.

“These aren’t tests verified with the results being marijuana or cocaine,” said price. “This is higher than I expected it to be, and a common scenario is: a driver is selected for a random test, and they say, ‘You know, I’m going to quit this company, I’ve got another job lined up, and I’m not taking the test.’”

Still, some aspects of current industry upgrades may help ease the shortage, such as the boosted positive public attention surrounding truck drivers as they stepped up to our nation’s front lines during the pandemic, which Sichterman and Norlin believe helped raise current enrollment numbers at driver training schools.

Veterans in Trucking’s vice president of business development, Matt Roland, also noted that there should be a much stronger focus on recruiting military veterans into the industry–especially as one-quarter of all trucker drivers are already veterans.

“We want trucking companies to identify the military veteran population, and we want to connect the veterans to trucking companies, and we want to ensure those trucking companies have the resources available to hire these veterans,” he said.

There has also been positivity around Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which incorporated a pilot program to help younger drivers become qualified to drive interstate and be more easily hired by trucking companies.

Supply Chain Challenges Rage On, Bringing Added Pressure to Truckers Ahead of Holiday Season

October 29, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

“What we have is a storm within a storm,” said Logistics Professor at the University of Houston, Margaret Kidd. “Consumers have insatiable demand, and consumers are spending. E-commerce numbers through the second quarter of this year are up 57% from two years ago.”

The current supply chain is being stretched thin–with pressure being exacerbated by the e-commerce boom brought about by the pandemic. Significant policy updates are needed, industry experts say, as well as as innovations by transportation leaders, time, and money.

The upcoming holiday season is going to add further difficulty when more shoppers are hitting the internet and exponentially increasing demand.

“We don’t have an infrastructure that was prepared for this,” said Terry Esper, Logistics Professor at Ohio State University. “This is not just a holiday thing. This is not just a demand spike thing. This is about the economy being able to function.”

Of 2018’s retail sales, Esper noted, e-commerce represented about 13.8%–a figure predicted to grow an additional 26% by the year 2025.

The current truck driver shortage, on top of a warehouse and transportation industry labor shortage of about 490,000 employees, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, is adding additional stress to the situation.

“These are not easy jobs to fill,” said Mark Baxa, President of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. “Let’s continue to find ways that make work-life balance as favorable as possible, and we’ll attract more people to the industry. We need to improve work-life balance, support driver health, and [improve] work conditions and compensation. We need to keep working at it.”

Enticing more workers to enter the transportation industry also means that further cost increases will come into play–more companies will need to boost spending on not only employee salaries and benefits, but on technology as well.

“Part of our supply chain constraint is labor,” said Esper. “If you want access to labor, you’re going to start to have to look at what you pay. We also need to look at technology, and now is the time to consider more investments in more automated operations, robotics, and such. There is a business case for this, and the writing is on the wall.”

With these shortages on top of an incredibly aggravated supply chain in the midst of a higher-than-ever e-commerce demand, the truck drivers that are stepping up to serve the public during this time will be put under enormous pressure by consumers and trucking companies alike.

“I understand the pressures, economic and otherwise, of labor shortages and supply chain issues, but we have to be very conscious and deliberate to not let that get in the way of safety measures,” said Levinson and Stefani’s Ken Levinson. “We also want to make sure that we’re not letting outside influences put pressure on companies and drivers to do things that aren’t safe, even with these added pressures that we have right now. It’s just not worth the risk.”

Because of this, Levinson wants to be sure that all passenger drivers are staying as defensive and aware as possible while sharing the road with commercial motor vehicles–especially during the holiday season.

“Just be aware and follow all the safety rules–especially in regards to speeding,” he said. “Don’t be a distracted driver, and be very careful of improperly using your phone. If you have to use your phone, make it hands-free–don’t, under any circumstances, text while driving. The consequences can be devastating. It’s hard enough to drive safely in normal circumstances, but if you add speeding or distracted driving or texting, and even inclement weather during the holidays, it’s just a recipe for disaster.”

Of course, these are all suggestions we hear often as drivers, but it’s vitally important that we do what we can to stay as safe as possible around these truckers who could be rushing to make a delivery on time, or who may be fatigued after spending incredibly long hours on the road.

“Your own vehicle could be in a tough spot with all those factors,” added Levinson, “and when you couple it with a truck driver who may be overworked, tired, unhealthy, speeding, and distractedly driving or using a phone–it could be catastrophic.”

ATRI Releases Top Industry Issues List, Driver Shortage Remains Biggest Concern

October 26, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

A top concern for the transportation industry this year is, once again, that of the continuing truck driver shortage.

The American Transportation Institute has released its annual list of Top Industry Concerns on Sunday at American Trucking Association’s Management Conference and Exhibition, and this ongoing shortage tops the list for the fifth year in a row. In fact, when votes were counted for the most prevalent concerns of industry members, the driver shortage was found to have four times the number of votes as the second highest-ranking concern–truck driver retention.

Following behind the issues of driver shortages and retention problems, the list included driver compensation in third place, lawsuit abuse reform in fourth, and inadequate truck parking availability in fifth. A shortage of diesel technicians ended up in 10th place–the first time this issue has made the list in any capacity.

“The ATRI list of top industry issues provides a critical snapshot of the challenges impacting our industry at any given moment,” said Sherri Garner Brumbaugh, Chairman of ATA and CEO of Garner Trucking. “This year is no exception, as supply chain constraints dominate the nation’s headlines.”

The true value of ATRI’s list, Brumbaugh noted, is that the organization offers methods of solving these pressing problems.

“ATRI’s analysis not only captures the industry’s sentiment on the criticality of each of these issues, but [it] also maps out a course for addressing each [problem] through the stakeholder-ranked strategies.”

More than 2,500 stakeholders throughout the trucking industry–including drivers, industry suppliers, driver trainers, motor carriers, and law enforcement–took part in this year’s survey. Around a quarter of participants identified as truck drivers.

“It really is no surprise that truck driver-related issues–notably, the driver shortage and driver retention–ranked so [highly] on the survey,” said Rebecca Brewster, President of ATRI. “Coming out of the pandemic, with the increased demand for goods and other pressures on the supply chain, getting and keeping drivers has been a real challenge industrywide.”

Brewster noted that the supply chain demand that was exacerbated throughout the boom of e-commerce during the pandemic era has clearly had major effects across many aspects of the industry, as made clear in this survey.

“We also see the impacts of the current supply chain crunch in how highly issues like driver compensation, truck parking, infrastructure, and driver detention ranked on the list.”

Because so many truckers are retiring in the midst of the pandemic while newer truckers making their way into the industry are experiencing slow starts due to delays in commercial driver training and licensing, Chief Economist for American Trucking Associations, Bob Costello, raised the overall number of drivers estimated to be needed in the industry from 61,500 to 80,000.

“This is somewhat pandemic-related; we didn’t train enough drivers,” he said, noting that this insufficient number of trained drivers is making it difficult for the industry to keep up with the growing freight demand. “It’s the traditional things we’ve been talking about for the last two decades–it’s the high average age of drivers, not [having] enough females [in the industry], lifestyle [issues], and then you throw in some things that have exacerbated [the issue].”

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s safety measurement system for compliance, safety, and accountability also ranked highly on ATRI’s list–coming in at sixth place this year.

“Carriers are concerned about the peer groups they’re being scored in,” explained Brewster. “There really is still a lot of concern among the industry over this issue.”

Following closely behind on the list is the issue of driver detention, with ATRI adding that at customer facilities, drivers are often not given restroom or facility access while delayed in their freight deliveries. Additionally, these drivers also are often prohibited from staying onsite at the facility if they run over their hours-of-service time allotment during such a delay.

Finally, ranking eighth on the list was transportation infrastructure, funding, and congestion. This points to major issues such as the 1-40 Hernando de Soto bridge closure earlier this year. Because the bridge served as the Mississippi River connection between Memphis and Arkansas, the industry faced costs of more than $1 million during repairs.

Truckers Recognized for Safe Driving, But Driver Shortage Still Looms

October 22, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

116 drivers for J.B. Hunt Transportation Services Inc. are receiving major recognition for having driven one million miles without any preventable accident occurrences.

For the first time, some of these drivers had reached 5 million safe miles, with other drivers reaching between 2- and 4-million miles without preventable incidents. During its Million Mile Celebration, the company celebrated these drivers at its Lowell, Arkansas corporate headquarters. This company event held for safe drivers and their families has taken place since 2011, although recognition for Million Mile drivers began in 1971.

“Our Million Mile drivers represent the epitome of who we want all of our drivers to be,” said president of contract services and chief operating officer of J.B. Hunt, Nick Hobbs. “It’s their unwavering commitment to be the very best at what they do that makes this accomplishment so special. We couldn’t do what we do without them.”

Additionally, these drivers continued company tradition to celebrate this achievement by walking in the Million Mile Walk of Flame–descending four flights of stairs which were filled with other company employees cheering them on. For these drivers who went above and beyond in their attention to safety, the company awarded safe driver bonuses equaling more than $1.6 million.

“We’ve been hosting this ceremony for 20 years, and I believe we’ll be doing it for 20 more,” said John Roberts, the company’s CEO. “The atmosphere is electric. There’s so much excitement to celebrate our drivers and their achievements.”

Now, these drivers will be commemorated on the Million Mile Wall, a wall recognizing all J.B. Hunt drivers who have reached between 1 million and 5 million safe miles. Nearly 4,000 company drivers are listed on this wall.

Although having this many loyal company drivers operating their vehicles so safely is a win for the industry, other trucking experts are worried that safety isn’t enough when the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the ongoing truck driver shortage.

“COVID exposed the underlying reasons for the shortage–an aging workforce with an average age of 55 and an industry that has struggled to recruit younger people or retain existing drivers,” said President of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, Greg Fulton. “That paradigm left the trucking industry vulnerable to a major unforeseen event, such as the pandemic.”

Fulton explained that trucking was more heavily impacted by the effects of pandemic than many other American industries, especially with so many drivers leaving or retiring instead of continuing on in during this difficult time.

“Has anyone stopped to ask if these drivers would have left if the pandemic never happened?” Fulton asked. “Many of these drivers were among the industry’s most skilled and safest, and maybe they weren’t quite ready to leave the road. Some left due to circumstances such as health concerns or the economy, not necessarily because they wanted to stop driving.”

For some of the older drivers who did leave to be incentivized to return to the industry, Fulton suggests that trucking must be restructured in a way that offers lucrative pay and an adequate lifestyle for them.

“At this point in their lives, many of these drivers want to be home every night, and may find loading or unloading freight a challenge,” he said. “Short routes that allow them to sleep in their own beds at night, and jobs that are less physically demanding–such as drop-and-hook loads with “no-touch” freight–may encourage them to come back.”

Fulton did note that that boosted recognition of truck drivers–especially for their efforts during COVID–have caught the attention of many people throughout the country who may be interested in entering the industry.

“The improved public image of trucking may also compel [the drivers who left] to return,” he said. “The pandemic elevated the importance of truck drivers to the public, and the public is also now more aware of the driver shortage–which on the ground level, may lead to greater appreciation shown to these professionals.”

Still, though, attracting back some drivers who left as well as attracting younger potential drivers needs to be the priority to keep the industry meeting demand.

“Longer-term, we must create a pipeline to fill our future needs,” Fulton said, “This improved public image may create greater interest by younger people to consider careers in trucking. It will take some time, but telling our industry’s story now to the incoming generation–especially in this moment–is vital.”