Yes, you heard right: a freeze on logistics, no semis out on the road, delivering your pharmaceuticals, groceries and even petroleum. It would be like the dark ages.
It’s No Secret That the Trucking Industry Is Our Reason for Living
Supply chains wouldn’t even exist without our truck drivers. That’s typically why the benefits and compensation tend to be so extensive, providing a decently ready made supply of employment to keep the industry trucking, no pun intended.
Here’s the problem, though: there’s been a shortage of drivers lately, and for obvious reasons.
Yes, prospective employees are a little gun shy about the prospect of working in the logistics industry. You can’t blame them because this job entails long hours and extended time away from home. Likewise, logistics companies are seeking alternate ways to deliver shipments, but the options are not quite as efficient as having a living, breathing person behind the wheel, right?
This Also Causes Problems With Dropping Pay Rates and Lackluster Working Conditions
When the economy suffers, it’s no wonder that sometimes certain industries may suffer in terms of what they can provide our workers. The logistics industry is included in that bunch. We then have issues with federal regulations, managing license, medical testing and safety enforcement. It’s a domino effect.
Driver shortages are directly linked to lack of qualifications. The lack of qualifications can even be related to the drop in economical fluidity and efficacy. Before you know it – and this has been the case in any period of our economy – the trucking industry’s suffering due to shortages in adequate workers able to operate vehicles.
But what can we do to rectify that? Even with past histories, this has been a continually asked question:
Some Proposed Strategies to Promoting an Increase in Truck Driver Supply
We all want good jobs, basically. If there are none, though, we’re forced to go with whatever’s the easiest possible profession, and some of the most reputable industries – like logistics and distribution – end up suffering.
However, there are ways of bolstering the industry, enticing prospective candidates into inquiring about a job as a truck driver. For one thing, it’s been discussed to revamp the age requirement policy, reducing the minimum and allowing for more prospects.
What that does is increase the candidate pool. Logistics companies may have greater options in discovering the better candidates out there.
Another possibility is to find avenues for cost reduction for many logistics companies requiring expenses be paid through tolls. Think about it for a moment: when trucking companies have to shell out a few thousand just so an entire fleet can successfully make it through an interstate, that’s less profit and less money in the pockets of those operating the fleet. This would be a monumental undertaking, but with collaboration, if state governments could work toward reducing toll amounts, that would benefit logistics corporations tremendously.
Ultimately, this supports and fosters retention and higher wages. The more truck drivers can get paid, the more opportunities are available. If companies can keep their drivers longer, too, this makes for a more stable economy – and even more opportunities for growth with newer corporations, or companies developing their own logistics divisions, starting up and stimulating the economy even more.
Truthfully, the possibilities are endless; there are plenty of options out there. The question is this – how do we manage those options efficiently?
Fixing the Trucking Industry, Though, Is Easier Said Than Done
As it stands, the first strategy – focusing on consumerism – is the most popular approach. Who’s to say, though, that it has to be the only approach?
This focus will take some major collaboration, in summary. You can’t tackle a problem just from one angle. Hit it at multiple points. Truck drivers need that support and stability, so why not blitzkrieg the problem until it turns to dust?
Perhaps then we wouldn’t ever see such a monumental shift in truck driver supply the next time our economy seems to stall a bit, as typical and natural as it may be. We just have to remember: we rely on our truck drivers. Even when times are tough, let’s do what we can to ensure that they all have good jobs, transporting everything we need in our lives and keeping our country running safely.
from Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog http://ift.tt/1zOsVIC
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