David Clark, Amazon’s former warehouse czar, is set to lay off 20% of the workforce of his logistics startup Flexport. The company’s co-CEO’s said in a note to employees that while “Flexport is in a good financial position… reductions in shipping volume from its customers and a more efficient operating structure leaves it ‘overstaffed in a variety of roles across the company.’” Read more…
In a survey of nearly 1,000 drivers, driver mobility provider Trucker Path asked: “How frequently would you like to return home from the road?” According to the results, “63% of the drivers who preferred to return home every night were allowed to do so” and “about 89% of drivers who wanted to return home several times a month had their request granted.” These results paint a rosy picture of job carriers, as they seem to be responding to their drivers’ preferences. Read more…
As part of new bipartisan legislation aiming to retain and recruit drivers, truck drivers would be eligible for up to $10,000 in tax credits, along with many other incentives such as truck parking funding and an hours-of-service exemption for livestock haulers. Lawmakers in Washington called the bill a “sweeping overhaul of the interstate trucking supply system.” Read more…
David Clark, Amazon’s former warehouse czar, is set to lay off 20% of the workforce of his logistics startup Flexport. The company’s co-CEO’s said in a note to employees that while “Flexport is in a good financial position… reductions in shipping volume from its customers and a more efficient operating structure leaves it ‘overstaffed in a variety of roles across the company.’” Read more…
Trucking carriers are using apprenticeships as an opportunity to “bring diverse candidates, including veterans, into a driving career.” While many industries have used apprenticeships to train and recruit workers for years, carriers such as Fastport will be keeping and paying participants for more than the standard one to two months, while also including a “dedicated mentor.” Read more…
According to seasonally adjusted data from the U.S. Department of Labor, the trucking industry gained around 2,100 workers in the past year. The truck transportation sector’s final year-end report showed that “there were 1,601,500 workers in the industry, up from 1,599,400 in November and 1,598,00 in October.” The DOL report goes on to say that “in 2022, average job growth in transportation and warehousing – plus 17,000 jobs – was about half the average job growth in 2021 at plus 36,000 jobs.” Read more…
A new 160,000-square-foot logistics facility is set to open next month in Whitestown, Indiana, as Nevada-based Novo Logistics is set to expand its presence in the Midwest with its newest location. Jobs will be created as the company’s services include: “warehousing, multi-client warehousing, on-site logistics, contingent labor solutions, and delivery transportation for local, regional and national clients.” Read more…
The Utah Transit Authority continues to look for bus drivers, as a tight labor market makes filling these positions a struggle. The shortage has even forced the UTA to cut back, and even eliminate, some bus routes earlier in December. While companies like UPS, FedEx and Amazon continue to hire, “truck driving companies are having a shortage all the way around. Schools are having trouble finding school bus drivers.” Read more…
Through its new Rural Surface Transportation Grant program, the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $273.9 million to 12 projects that aim “to assist communities around the U.S. complete transportation projects that increase connectivity, improve safety and reliability, support regional economic growth and improve the quality of life for people living in rural areas.” Read more…
