If you noticed that there seems to be a few more bare shelves or delays in stocking items at your local stores this spring, you’re not alone. The increasing growth and recovery in the economy has led to two specific issues that are impacting supply chain and cost: increased consumer demand and fewer truck drivers to haul the loads being shipped. It’s expected that the industry will be short 63,000 drivers this year. But how do you handle truck driver shortages to keep your supply chain moving? Here’s a quick look at some options to consider.
Reduce the driver age for CDL licensing. A recent initiative that has been pushed by the Trump administration includes potentially lowering the age of commercial vehicle drivers traveling across state lines to 18 years old. While states currently allow 18 year olds to drive trucks within their state, one must be at least 21 years old to travel outside of state boundaries. The program is focused specifically for those with military training from the National Guard and other military programs.
Advertise to the younger crowd. The average American truck driver is a 45-year-old male, often because teens straight out of high school cannot yet drive across state lines and forget that trucking is an option once they hit 21. This demographic looks for work in different ways than traditional truck drivers as well. Consider advertising jobs online and train underage drivers to handle your in-state shipping.
Go for the girls. Female truck drivers are still fairly rare; however, this gender makes up almost half of your available potential labor pool. Many businesses are continuing to only recruit by utilizing traditional means, focusing on money and, often times, truck ownership. Consider making your recruitment practices more appealing to women with different terms, increased home time and similar options.
Get efficient. By making your loading, unloading and turnaround operations move more efficiently, you can quickly lower the amount of time your drivers need to spend waiting on a load and allow them to spend the majority of their time driving. Consider looking at digitization and the improvements it can make in your warehouse operations to keep things moving swiftly.
By keeping these issues in mind and applying the potential solutions to your supply chain, you can help minimize the cost in terms of wait time and shipping expenses on your business.
If you are looking for a trucking career with a reputable company, look no further than Road Scholar Transport. From guaranteed pay and home time to newer trucks equipped with some of the safest technology on the market today, Road Scholar has a lot to offer you. Visit https://roadscholar.com/careers to learn more.
