Trucking industry thought leaders recently formed a non-profit organization to reduce the increased need for drivers by reaching out to young people.
The newly-minted Next Generation in Trucking Association announced it engaged public school systems and community colleges to start the process of providing technical training for young people across Kentucky, Wisconsin, Indiana, and California. In addition, the trucking sector reportedly needs to add upwards of 67,000 qualified CDL-holders by the end of 2022 to keep pace with rising goods and materials deliveries.
“Programs like this one are critical game-changers for not only developing a skilled workforce but also creating pathways for that skilled workforce to advance in their careers in the trucking industry,” Next Generation in Trucking co-chair Lindsey Trent reportedly said. “We are eager to train, mentor, and match a fresh generation of drivers to the 21st-century needs and demands of the trucking industry.”
Next Generation recently partnered with Future Leaders of Indiana, a segment of the Indiana Motor Truck Association, to integrate trucking career awareness and training in technical high schools. Among the key reasons the industry sustains a workforce shortfall year-over-year stems from the fact people 18-21 years old cannot haul freight across interstate lines. This issue apparently served as a deterrent to CDL training programs being included in high school curriculums and graduates entering other fields.
“There’s a lot of other industries represented in career technical education, like construction and woodworking, welding, automotive technology, but the trucking industry is really underrepresented,” Trent reportedly said.
The DRIVE-Safe Act moving through Washington, D.C., would effectively eliminate this impediment and make high school and community college training more pragmatic. Next Generation understands its mission in the following ways.
- To promote trucking as a positive career field.
- To encourage the training and employment of young people in the trucking industry.
- To promote their education and connect them to training and employment opportunities.
- To create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce in communities nationwide.
Although Next Generation formed in 2020, it has quickly built ties with schools to launch CDL training programs, including Lawrence County High School in Louisa, KY, Jessamine Career and Technology Center, Nicholasville, KY, Fairdale High School, Louisville, and Lux-Casco, Luxemburg, WS.
The average age of people entering careers as truck drivers hovers above 35 years old, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Few disagree that providing information and training before young people leave high school will have a positive influence on choosing trucking industry careers. Should the DRIVE-Safe Act eliminate age restrictions, the Next Generation in Trucking Association appears well-positioned to build the truck driver pipeline that has been missing.
Sources: nextgentrucking.com, fleetequipmentmag.com
And the accident rates will quadruple with the way the next gen trash act and drive cars.
Not to mention they will training them for jobs that aren’t there because most companies, even Intrastate, cannot hire them due to their insurance requirements.