Though many trucking companies lament the fact that they are low on truck drivers, this runs counterintuitive to the fact “that there are many times more commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) issued than there are jobs in the industry.” With unemployment levels below 4%, it appears that many truck drivers are leaving the industry to find one with a “safe, steady job that will enable them to provide a reasonably comfortable life for themselves and their families.” Read more…
John Esparza, chief executive officer of the Texas Trucking Association, insists that “a shortage of commercial truck drivers is contributing to increasing supply chain issues” within the state. With nearly 200,000 commercial truck drivers, the most in the nation, Texas is continuing to lose a generation of truck drivers and not replacing them accordingly. The median wage in the state for truck drivers, $47,000, is certainly not helping the issue either. Read more…
Rivian automotives will receive $1.5 billion in aid from the state of Georgia and local governments to “build a 7,500-job, $5 billion electric vehicle plant east of Atlanta.” With the hopes that Rivian will anchor an entire electric vehicle industry, including electric trucks and commercial delivery fans, the aid package will become “the largest single industrial announcement in Georgia history, including a pledge that the company will reach the full investment and job targets by the end of 2028, with jobs paying an average of $56,000 a year, plus benefits.” Read more…
Fully driverless trucks have caused concerns for many in the industry about the potential layoffs, but “ a growing body of research and expert opinion, however, suggests that the economic shift to self-driving big rigs is unlikely to impact as many truck driving jobs as some news headlines proclaim.” Read more…
The Coca-Cola company has pledged to donate “$1 million to the Technical Colleges System of Georgia’s (TCSG) Commercial Truck Driving Program to support what its executives call critical training and job opportunities for Georgians.” The company goes on to say that “businesses and consumers rely on Georgia’s trucking industry, which is facing a driver shortage that has been particularly heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic,” and this donation will hopefully help address the issue. Read more…
Truckers from Wyoming through parts of Nebraska are grappling with a springtime blizzard that’s unleashing havoc on the roadways as it moves east. Officials are saying that “conditions are changing rapidly and advise anyone traveling along Interstate 80 to find a safe, alternate route around the storm or park.” Even after the storm subsides, drivers should drive slowly and watch out for slick spots. Read more…
The site of the Bainbridge Naval Training Center in Port Deposit “is being reactivated as the Bainbridge Logistics Center with warehouses planned on more than 400 acres of the 1100-acre site with the potential to create as many as 2,000 jobs.” The project had to clear many hurdles first, including asbestos contamination and other remedial requirements. Read more…
According to the latest Bloomberg Truckstop.com survey, “carriers are optimistic about growth in volume and rate this year, despite rising fuel and equipment costs that are squeezing profitability.” The survey shows that many owner-operators remain bullish about demand, as “about 72% of respondents expect load growth over the next six months vs 71% in $Q and 1Q a year ago. Read more…
With the current trucker shortage probably doubling by 2030 according to the ATA, it has become imperative that the issue is addressed immediately. There are many factors contributing to the continued shortage, amongst them are: “high average age of truckers and an increasing number of retirements,” “the inability of some candidates to pass a drug test,” “and a federal law prohibiting truckers younger than 21 years old from crossing state lines.” Read more…
Construction on the redevelopment of former Connecticut airfield Rentschler Field could begin as soon as this fall, a project that will not only bring hundreds of construction jobs for more than a year, but “ultimately up to 2,000 permanent jobs at a massive logistics center and accompanying high-tech research and development buildings.” The planning and zoning commission “unanimously approved National Development’s plan to create two mega-warehouses of more than 1 million square feet each on the former airfield.” Read more…
