Respondents to polling conducted in December and January expressed widely different views about a driver shortage. About half (44 percent) consider it real, while the other half (48 percent) view it as myth or primarily a function of other forces, not any real shortage of available workers. Responses to the above poll at OverdriveOnline.com from readers follow.
Roger: If there was a shortage of drivers, freight wouldn’t get hauled, and rates would be up. Don’t know about the rest of you, but l’m not seeing it.
M.J. Zurich: The “shortage of qualified drivers” is largely a byproduct of deregulation. That saw the elimination of any meaningful carrier fitness standard. A total abandonment of that federal standard over the years has brought some seriously bad actors into the trucking business, resulting in, among other things, the decades-long wholesale drop in driver wages. Based on my own 44 years in trucking, I’ll still say that if the drivers’ wages and benefits packages are where they’re supposed to be, the people needed for the OTR long-haul jobs will show up. Word-of-mouth about a wage/benefits package will travel faster (and is a way more effective recruiting and retention tool) than any slick ad campaign or trucking show kiosk will ever hope to be.
Ed: The problem is the fact that freight rates are in the crapper and that the new generation of drivers that go through these driving schools is not taught to drive, for the most part. A fellow I know just spent over $6,000 to go through a driving school. Of the 160 hours of the course, he was able to get less than six hours behind the wheel, and by the way, his driving instructor had completed the course less than one year prior. With all the regulations coming down the pike – be it FMCSA or EPA – there may likely be a real shortage soon, though.Dennis Brannon: We’ve seen a shift in interest from drivers leaving company employee roles to become owner-operators, but not a shortage. Shortage to me implies that there aren’t enough drivers to meet demand.
The 1099 [independent contractor] economy is gaining traction because millennials aren’t interested in working for the man. I believe that generation will create unconventional ways to meet demand and provide capacity. However, not in the traditional sense the ATA and big-box truckers want it done. Watch for spikes in leased equipment and increased urgency for automation.
LeAnn McKee: The big picture suggests that in the next five to 10 years, there will really be a shortage, as no one wants to get into this business. … With no incentive for new drivers (signing bonuses are meaningless in the long term, and irrelevant to owner-ops), there will indeed be a shortage. As I’m stuck in this, I hope that shortage truly hits soon, so rates go up!
Tim: There probably is an excess of people that could be qualified to drive a commercial vehicle. The problem is that they all have real jobs.
Your view? Weigh in here or send a letter to the editor.
from Overdrive http://ift.tt/1VCQhuu
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