Category Archives: Trucking

MODEST GAINS IN 2022 FOR TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY

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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… 

WOMEN BECOMING TRUCK DRIVERS IN RECORD NUMBERS

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With the pandemic wearing tons of people out, especially mothers and women in the healthcare profession, many of them are turning to the truck driving industry as a break from the grueling day-to-day of their previous professional lives. For example, Chelsea Ferguson was feeling burned out as “she was doing strenuous work cleaning patients and turning them over.  She was on her feet some days for 16 hours.” As a result, Chelsea turned to the trucking industry, as have many other women, making females in the trucker workforce at 18%, an all time high.  Read more..

NO HOURS OF EXEMPTION FOR LIVESTOCK TRUCK DRIVERS

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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has “rejected a petition from several agriculture groups asking for more Hours of Service flexibility for drivers hauling livestock and other animal goods.”  The petition had asked for the FMCSA to allow truck drivers “hauling livestock, insects, and aquatic animals, after 10 consecutive hours off duty, to drive through the 16th consecutive hour after coming on duty, and to drive a total of 15 hours during that 16-hour period.”  Read more…

EVEN MOMS LOVE TO BE TRUCK DRIVERS

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Challenging stereotypes, Clarissa Ranking, a 36-year-old mom from Charlotte, North Carolina, is a professional truck driver transporting all kinds of goods across the East Coast. From hauling diapers to TVs to canned goods, Clarissa is making $144K a year while loving her job. Ranking exclaims: “people always have this image in their mind of a truck driver being a man with a big old stomach, big old beard and wearing overalls… I love to get that expression on people’s faces like, ‘Can you really drive that?’ And I’m like, ‘Yes, I got this honey.’”  Read more… 

NORTH AMERICAN TRUCK DRIVERS STILL IN HIGH DEMAND

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With a shortage of drivers “impacting the ability to get goods, merchandise and other items shipped around the country,” the American Trucking Association believes the country needs at least another 80,000 more drivers on the road. On the bright side, requests to enroll in trucking schools have increased due to the desire of applicants to have a guaranteed job if a recession hits. Read more..

LAWMAKERS STILL BELIEVE THERE’S A TRUCK DRIVER SHORTAGE

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While many truck drivers and economists no longer believe there is a truck driver shortage, there are many lawmakers in Washington who do. Recently, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona introduced a bill that would “do away with certain requirements for obtaining a commercial’s driver license.” There are lawmakers who believe such a law would help ease the purported shortage by “helping hardworking Americans and slashing costs for all.”   Read more…

NEW TRUCK DRIVING COURSES COMING TO HIGH SCHOOLS

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With the trucking industry in dire need of workers, high schools such as Williamsport High School are introducing trucking courses as part of a nationwide push to steer young drivers towards the industry. As the American Trucking Association “projects that trucking companies will need to hire nearly 1.2 million drivers over the next decade,” it is imperative that an aging workforce is supplemented with more youthful recruits, including teenagers.  Read more…

MATCHMAKING STARTUP TO MATCH TRUCKERS AND JOBS

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A Cleveland-based startup has decided to tackle the supply chain trucker shortage head on – they’ve created a “matchmaking site” for truckers and jobs. The software company Drive My Way “lets drivers create profiles where they describe what they’re looking for in a working relationship.  And then the algorithm finds employers that can meet their wants and needs.” If it can work for popular dating websites, why not for the trucking job market as well?  Read more…

THE TRUCKERS CHRISTMAS GROUP BEGINS ANNUAL FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

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The Truckers Christmas group, an organization that helps to raise funds for truck drivers and their families in the United States and Canada for the holiday season, has begun its annual fundraising campaign. Since 2008, The Truckers Christmas Group has raised $150,000 and helped 244 families in need thanks to its sponsors and donations received.”  Anonymous nominations can be made through December 17.  Read more