Possible Solution To Driver Shortage?

Companies and shareholders want to keep profits up. Customers want prices low. Employees want higher pay. The vicious cycle. We all wanna buy laptops for $200 & big-screen tv's for $500. Then we wonder why manufacturing jobs go overseas.

I agree with Brett. One of the problems with lowering the age is; there's not a shortage of potential drivers in the current age group. Even the government offers grants to get people their CDL and off the unemployment rolls.

The question facing this industry and others is; are we, as a society, willing to pay significantly higher prices for goods and services, in return for people getting higher wages?

From my experience as a cashier with Walmart no people are not willing to pay more. They are always trying to get the BBD. And to be honest it makes me sick. Yeah I want prices to be lower than they are, but I also understand it takes money to get those products to me. Not to mention the fact that with lower wages drivers start looking for other jobs that will help offset those higher costs. It really is a vicious circle.

As for younger....not sure younger is always better. They need to make this industry more appealing to those of us who are in our 30's, 40's and 50's. (btw start my training on the 11th of April so I was just generalizing)

Also, look around when you're out there on the road. What percentage of drivers would you say are below the age of 30? Not very many. There's no point in lowering the interstate age from 21 to 18 when you hardly have anyone out there now below the age of 30 anyhow. I started driving when I was 21 and it was rare to see anyone near my age. I was teased on a daily basis for being so young.

Not only that, but trucking companies put their own minimum age requirements anyhow. So even though you can drive interstate at 21, most companies won't hire you until you're 23 - 25 anyhow.

My guess would be that anyone trying to push the age from 21 down to 18 is probably just looking for another new source of cheap labor.

While I've known many 18 year olds that are pretty mature - for the most part, folks that young aren't. I think they need a little more "life-seasoning" and miles on the road, before we start throwing them all behind 80,000 lbs of rolling death.

And agree or not - the legal drinking age is 21 for a reason also. There's also a reason why companies welcome older drivers in their 50's-60's, as long as they can pass a physical.

I think the issue of shortage is less driver ATTRACTION, than it is driver RETENTION. Plenty of folks enter the industry every year, enough to eliminate the driver shortage - the issue is THEY DON'T STAY. Between churn (company hopping) and folks just leaving the industry because they can't cut it - or it's just not for them.

Remember that OTR trucking is a LIFESTYLE.

Driver PAY is a large factor in this - though "entry level positions" in pretty much any industry, are still typically much less than the $35-45K we see in trucking. While I don't think Brett's $100K figure to be totally ridiculous - it is way high for entry level.

Driver working/living conditions are as much a factor in retention, as pay is. Companies that provide equipment with "creature comforts" - APU's number one of these - seem to have greater retention, than companies that limit idle and make you sweat/freeze in off hours. You can only legally drive for 11 hours - that other 13 is as important from a driver comfort standpoint.

Rick

OTR:

Over The Road

OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APU's:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

I keep hearing about the driver shortage. Heck, it's even one of the reasons I think getting into the field now is a smart move; it's going to stay in demand, keep my tires rolling, and keep my making money (hopefully better & better money).

We can postulate back and forth why we think there's a shortage. Personally I think it's a couple things. One, regardless of reasons or rationale it is not deemed a 'respectable profession' by most of society. Two, no ones getting any younger; there's a generation of drivers retiring not many of certain age group entering the profession to replace them. We have a generation of 20 & 30 somethings that for them, being a trucker wouldn't even cross their minds as an option. Why? See reason One above, and this: They have been engrained in the idea that a college degree (in any even silly or usless major), and the accompanying debt is the answer and key to their happiness and earning a decent living wage. A career that doesn't require a degree is not a career worth having; infact, that's no career at all, just a low paying job that no one wants...

That said. I keep hearing about the driver shortage. I'm not seeing or hearing about all the empty store shelfs, or shortages of goods or materials anywhere.

That said. I keep hearing about the driver shortage. I'm not seeing or hearing about all the empty store shelfs, or shortages of goods or materials anywhere.

This is the main reason why I don't believe there is any shortage. Plus we still have freight slowdowns. It stands to reason that if there was a true shortage then freight wouldn't have the seasonal slowdowns because people would be stocking up for the next busy season.

How about ease up on this crap with personal vehicles. If sombody has an accident in their personal vehicle it shouldn't ruin their career.

How about ease up on this crap with personal vehicles. If sombody has an accident in their personal vehicle it shouldn't ruin their career.

I agree, unless it's a DUI.

How about ease up on this crap with personal vehicles. If sombody has an accident in their personal vehicle it shouldn't ruin their career.

Unfortunately, that is usually INSURANCE COMPANIES! Not so much the Carriers. Insurance companies are the biggest "profilers and discriminators" on planet earth!

How about ease up on this crap with personal vehicles. If sombody has an accident in their personal vehicle it shouldn't ruin their career.

If they aren't at fault, why would it ruin their career?

How about ease up on this crap with personal vehicles. If sombody has an accident in their personal vehicle it shouldn't ruin their career.

I can understand that if it's just one accident. But if you have a two or more accidents within a certain period of time and your fault then you shouldn't be trusted behind the wheel of a 80000 pound missile on wheels.

This is also why we can't trust kids that are under 21 behind the wheel of a truck. They just haven't had anytime to gain enough experience behind the wheel of a normal car. I think a lot of them but not all of them still have the sense of invincibility and take unnecessary risk. At that age I couldn't even trust myself behind the wheel of one of those trucks.