There has been a short supply of trucks drivers in America for years. However, an increase in retirements plus people quitting to take on less demanding jobs has intensified this supply chain problem.
According to a report, this led to empty shelves, panicked holiday shoppers, and the congestion of ports. Warehouses across the country are filled with goods, and delivery dates have spanned to months instead of days or weeks for some items.
A report released by the American Trucking Associations estimated that the industry has a shortage of 80,000 drivers, which is a record and one that the organization predicted could grow in 2030 when more drivers retire.
Problems with supply chains are caused by various causes, such as an extreme rise in demand for goods and factory shutdowns in other countries. The situation is worsened by the shortage of truckers and deteriorating conditions in the transportation industry, which has made it more difficult for customers to obtain what they want when they need them.
The issue is spreading across all sectors of the economy, creating a negative impact on economic growth, pushing up costs for consumers, and lowering the approval ratings of President Biden.
Gene Seroka, the executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, stated that his port had informed officials at the White House in July that approximately 30 percent of trucker’s appointments at the port went unfulfilled every day, primarily due to a shortage of truck drivers, the trucks they use to pull load, and warehouse workers needed to unload items off trucks.
The $1 trillion infrastructure bill that the House approved last week may aid in reducing the shortage. The bill includes an apprenticeship program for three years, permitting commercial truck drivers who are as young as 18 years old to travel across state boundaries. In many states, drivers under the age of 21 can obtain a commercial driver’s license. However, federal regulations prohibit their ability to travel on interstate roads.
Experts in the industry said that the program is unlikely to address the immediate issue since they said it might take years and that many people do not want to drive trucks.
The problem has spooked trucking companies, who say there are insufficient young people who can replace the ones leaving the market. The stigmas associated with working in the industry, the isolated lifestyle, and the younger generation’s preference for four-year university degree programs have created hard-to-lure drivers. Companies that transport goods have also had a difficult time keeping their workers. Turnover rates can be up to 90 percent for large-scale carriers.
As a result, companies have increased the wages of their employees. The average weekly income for long-distance truck drivers has increased by about 21 percent since 2019, as per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2020, commercial truck drivers had a median wage of $47,130.
Bob Costello, the chief economist of the American Trucking Associations, said teenagers aged 18 who are interested in pursuing a career in trucking may not wait until 21 to pursue this line of work. They could end up working in the fields of food or construction.
While supply chain bottlenecks could be resolved post-pandemic, Costello said the driver shortage could get worse.
“If we don’t fix this driver shortage,” he said, “I think going into some of these stores and seeing some of the shelves with nothing on it could be our future.”
