Projected driver shortage to tripple by 2026 but companies keep closing?!

'Quietest in 20 years': Truckers feel chill of slowing US economy

 

I can tell ya there is definitely a local driver shortage. My company has over 10k trucks nationwide and its a widely known fact that finding drivers often includes waiting weeks or months to fill a seat. And even then you are paying top or near for the area your in. Friggin sucks. We need 2 at my shop and and 2 neighboring shops need 1 each. The only applicants we've gotten have been......... bottom of the barrel.... we need people looking to move companies to find anyone of value.

 

I delivered to a distribution company in Kent, WA the other day. They have posted CDL DRIVERS HELP WANTED signs all over the place. $25.83 an hour to start, overtime after 40, benefits, etc. It's not only there, I see all over the place.

 

Yup yup. Blows my mind. Ive been a driver 20 years now. And among all the jobs ive had, this is bar none the easiest one. Decent to really good pay depending on where you came from. And worth it for what the job offers in my opinion. But #### if we can find anyone...

 

I was thinking a few minutes ago about this thread and the topic. Let me state now that I am speaking to Class A CDLs with drivers that are doing both intra and interstate operations. Anybody want to take a guess at how many drivers can't get physicals now because of out of control diabetes, sleep apnea and general things wrong with them? Most of these local jobs are labor intensive. You are not going to find many 50 somethings doing it. When the FMCSA tightened down on the medical and required drivers to use a registered examiner that tied that physical to the CDL things changed. I have been thinking and have come up with over a hundred drivers that now no longer drive (that want to) because they can't get that medical card, OR those tables in 383.51 have caught up to them.

When I was much younger all you had to do was get your employer to sign off on your experience and you took the test and got your (truckers) license, in Georgia this was class 4 and 5 before the CDLs. Even after the CDL came in you could grandfather in and not have to take the driving test. The FMCSA has got so tight on this now that for all intent and purposes you can't get a CDL without going to school, that's company financed or you shell out the 5 grand! I am positive there are people that see those want ads, however, they fear hard work, or are not willing to do what is needed to get the CDL.

This (shortage) of drivers is a little complicated and has NO easy or simple answers. Anybody that tells you it is easy, well, in my opinion, they have been out in the sun way too long!

 

They do include labor but most are not intensive labor. Just some work. Thats the problem we have now. All these younger people have been taught that they don't need to "work" all trades are having this problem. (Driving is a trade, no different than a plumber or sheetrocker in my opinion) its seen as beneath them to actually work...

 

Well if thats the case I should be coming into a gold mine pretty soon...

I've been driving truck on and off since before I could legally drive a car (nearly 25 years now). I have several years (total of all my truck driving experience over 20ish odd years) of local or regional experience. I got my CDL just over 6 years ago. And I'm rapidly approaching 2 years of OTR experience...

So soon I can sing "Money, money money money!"... Oh wait, I'm small town country boy that refuses to live inside the limits of even the smallest town... Guess I'll be content with my higher than average income and Keep On Truck'n

 

I agree. Additionally, with respect to television talking heads, it is important to note that the vast majority of them have little actual understanding of the subjects that they cover. The skills they are hired for are their abilities to present the material in specific ways with respect to facial expressions and tone of voice in order to lead the emotions of the audience. Almost none of tv's talking heads could sit down and write a book about even one of the topics that they regularly speak about. If they could, I reckon that they would.

Many news articles are now written by computer software.