Central Region Job Centers recently held a CDL training recruitment event at the Columbia Job Center for applicants interested in obtaining their Class A License. Marking the starting steps of the training process, attendees filled out paperwork and learned about the varied work opportunities in the truck driving industry. Patricia Rogers of the Missouri Job Center noted: “We do these orientations to help provide information about what it means to be a CDL driver, the expectations out on the road, and some of the pitfalls that can affect them.” Read more…
Category Archives: coronavirus
COVID-19 DRIVING PERSONNEL INTO THE TRUCKING SECTOR
While there’s a lot to be said about the global pandemic driving truckers out of the industry, there are also cases of the pandemic bringing new personnel into the sector as well. For instance, former nurse Leah Gorham says that COVID-19 made conditions “unbearable, unsafe and caused low morale amongst staff.” She wanted to find a career where she had job satisfaction, general happiness and safety, and was soon able to find these qualities by following in her boyfriend’s footsteps and becoming a truck driver. Read more…
MARIJUANA TESTING LEADING TO TRUCKER SHORTAGE
A top Wells Fargo analyst believes that there’s more to blame than just the COVID-19 pandemic for rising costs and driver shortages in the transportation industry — “federal marijuana criminalization and resulting drug testing mandates” are a part of the issue as well. While marijuana is legalized in some states, it remains illegal in others, henceforth mandating federal drug testing for all truckers. Read more…
TRUCKERS PROTEST IN OTTAWA
Thousands of demonstrators protested against a vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the US-Canada border in Ottawa this past week. Around 90% of Canada’s 120,000 cross border truckers have been vaccinated, but the unrest amongst the unvaccinated continues. The US also requires foreign truckers to show proof of vaccination upon entry. Read more…
TRUCKING COMPANY IMPLEMENTS BIGGEST RAISE IN ITS HISTORY
In an attempt to combat worker shortage issues, trucking firm KLLM Transport Services, one of the largest trucking companies in the US, is giving raises up to 33%, allowing some of its drivers to earn up to $150,000 in their first year. Read more…
SHIP TO SHELF ISSUES TO CONTINUE IN 2022
With no immediate end in sight for supply chain issues, the global pandemic has forever changed how the shipping business works. With continued record breaking shipments, ongoing port congestion and worker shortages due to COVID, union contract negotiations set for 2022 have the potential to become a ticking time bomb. Read more…
UNVACCINATED DRIVERS EXACERBATING VEGETABLE SHORTAGE
With as much as 90 percent of Canada’s fruits and vegetables coming from the US during the winter, unvaccinated American drivers, who have to quarantine for two weeks upon entry, are causing a major slowdown of vital shipments. With extreme weather already hamstringing grocery store produce supplies, cross-border food trade rules are exacerbating the issue. Read More…
TRUCKERS PROTEST VAX MANDATE
Dozens of Canadian truck drivers have staged a protest near the US-Manitoba international border to protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates, slowing down traffic on both sides and causing delays for drivers both entering and leaving Canada. Under the new rules, unvaccinated truck drivers will no longer be allowed to cross the border, worsening already dire supply chain problems. Read more…
NO REPRIEVE FOR LOGISTIC COSTS IN 2022
Due to the struggle to move goods during the Covid-19 pandemic, “companies are bracing for more steep increases in shipping and logistic prices” over the next year. Compounding issues, strong demand and tight capacity will continue to persist due to the lack of reprieve of inflationary pressure. Todd Bushman, a logistics executive at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, says that the industry is “preparing for the worst.” Read More…
DESPITE WAREHOUSE AND TRANSPORTATION LABOR FORCE IMPROVEMENTS, FEDERAL RESERVE REMAINS ECONOMIC WILDCARD
Since May 2020, the U.S. has added 800,00 jobs in the warehouse and transportation labor force, outshining the pre-COVID numbers by a 3% increase. With many workers learning to make peace with emerging variants, one of the biggest obstacles now becomes the oncoming tightening of financial conditions, as the Federal Reserve may need to rethink their “highly accommodative monetary policy.” Read More…