The US (and indeed global) shortage of truck drivers continues on, now really for the first time reaching the type of crisis levels many had been predicting for several years.
The American Trucking Associations estimates there is a shortage of some 50,000 in the US right now, a figure some say is low. And the ATA expects that number to keep heading north over the next few years.
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| Currently, you must be 21 to drive on federal highways, though some state allow 18 year olds to drive in-state. |
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That despite now constant efforts by carriers to increase driver wages, with double digit raises common, along with guaranteed minimum weekly pay and attractive signing bonuses.
But all that doesn't seem nearly enough to close the gap. So both carriers and arms of the government are taking steps to counter the trend by expanding the pool of potential drivers.
And that includes programs to attract women, minority and – most controversially – younger drivers.
Currently, 94% of drivers are men, and two-thirds of all drivers are white, according to a 2017 report released by the ATA. That demographic is also getting older very year, as younger drivers are not entering the profession in large numbers.
Trucking companies "are making the adjustments because they have to," Kevin Reid, the founder of the National Minority Trucking Association, recently told the New York Times.
"The industry has not focused on recruiting and retaining the next generation," Reid added. "Trucking is an industry that needs to be rebranded. There was a cool factor to trucking in the 1970s and 1980s. We don't have that now, so the question is, how are we going to reach the next generation of truckers?"
The Times piece cited the example of Kristina Jackson, a 22-year-old African-American truck driver based in Raleigh, NC.
A year into driving, she is constantly reminded that she's an outlier in the industry.
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"When people found out I was in trucking, they were shocked because of my gender and age," she told the Times. "The first thing you think of is an old white male. People say to me, 'You don't look like a trucker.' I say, 'What does a trucker look like?'"
Jackson told the Times that more young people could easily be persuaded to join the industry, saying that she has personally recruited 10 of her friends in their 20s into truck driving jobs.
But she believes the industry has done a poor job of showcasing young truckers.
Recruiting more women drivers generally is seen as an opportunity by some.
 However, that will require changing the perception that that truck driving is not an appropriate - or safe - place for women.
"There's still men out there who think women shouldn't be driving trucks. They're few and far between, but they're vocal," says Ellen Voie, the president of the Women in Trucking Association. "But the experience has changed a lot over the past five years because carriers are trying hard to make sure women have a good experience."
The most controversial effort to increase the driver pool is to allow younger drivers into the mix. Currently, you must be 21 to drive on federal highways, though some state allow 18 year olds to drive in-state.
The Trump administration is supporting a pilot program that would allow 18 year old drivers to operate commercial vehicles across state lines – if they have military training. While the program is a trial, it indicates a willingness to allow drivers under 21 to make interstate deliveries.
Bob Costello, ATA chief economist, told the times that "If you are graduating from high school and you are not going into the military, you are not going to college, for all practical purposes, you can't go into trucking because you have to be at least 21 to drive interstate freight."
So tmuch of this younger pool finds other careers and is lost as a potential truck driver forever.
While the trucking industry is hopeful that success in the pilot program will eventually prompt the government to reduce the driving age for all types of people, not just those with military training, such a change would likely be strongly opposed by some safety groups.
Can the industry be successful recruiting women and minority drivers? Should we ley 18 drivers on the road? Let us know your thoughts at the Feedback section below.
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