What are the causes of driver shortage.

1.The demand for CDL licensed truck drivers has never been higher then it is to date. CDL truck drivers are the back bone of the transportation sector in supply chain, and currently the shortage is unprecedented. In order to rectify this and secure our economy, we must first recognize the issues and come up with solutions. The main issue behind this truck driver shortage comes from the cumbersome schedule and regulations placed on these drivers. In order to rectify this issue, the role and salary truck drivers achieve should be realistically identified, alternatives to the newly developed federal regulated training requirements and apprenticeship program should become much more accessible.
Truck drivers run a very long hour scheduled, with the federal government allowing eleven hours of drive time before a required ten hour break (Time, 2022). Unfortunately, the role of a truck driver is often times glamorized and not adequately described to new hires. Instead, they are feed the idea that this is a six figure job where you do not have to do much. This is far from the truth, on average a long haul truck driver who can spend weeks at a time on the road for up to eleven hours a day $55,000 a year (Comparably, 2022). The issue is not only the pay, but rather that many are blatantly lied to on what the work hours and pay will be when the join the work force as a truck driver. There are two ways to fix this issue, increase pay and be realistic as to what truck drivers will face when on the road. This will help to get new hires as well as keep those already driving.
As of February of 2022 a new regulation cam into play that has caused even more devastation to the truck driver shortage. “An entry-level driver training rule that took effect in February mandates that all aspiring CDL holders complete a training program from a registered provider before they take the skills test. Prior to the new policy, drivers had more choice in how they developed the competencies needed to pass the exam, thereby enabling more workers to enter the industry” (Fortune, 2022). This program allowed for a more regulated and safe driving experience for truck drivers, but on the other hand created a huge obstacle of accessibility for potential truck drivers causing an even greater increase in the truck driver shortage. In order to rectify this issue, alternatives should be allowed fro truck drivers as there was in the past in order for them to achieve their licensing. In response to this, a new apprenticeship program was developed but unfortunately has some of it’s own issues.
A new apprenticeship program has been announced in hopes of loosen up some restrictions on younger drivers wanting to join the work force as a CDL truck driver. “Established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, the pilot initiative removes a restriction in the interstate trucking law prohibiting 18 to 21-year-olds from driving commercial vehicles out of state or transporting interstate goods within their own state. Unfortunately, Congress has capped the number of participants in the pilot at 3,000, eliminating thousands of qualified younger workers from the driver pool” (Fortune, 2022). In theory, this apprenticeship program could have allowed for tens of thousands of new drivers to enter the work force, but by limiting this to only 3,000 we are faced with barely any help in the decline in CDL truck drivers. In order to be successful, there should be no limit in this apprenticeship program and I have yet to find a valid reason as to why there was a limit put in place.
In the end, it has become abundantly clear and intimidating seeing just how great the CDL truck driver shortage has become. This shortage has been caused by the long hours and low pay associated with long haul truck driving, complicated federal requirements, and a far from abundant apprenticeship program. By identifying and correcting these issues, we may be able to see this driver shortage decrease and aid in the rebuild of our desperately crumbling economy.
2.Today we can see that there is a abundance of worker shortages. But one line of work that has been hit hard are drivers. Drivers are one of the most important workers in the world because they are the ones who transport our goods. Without them we would have to waits days, weeks, even months sometimes for our products. Now drivers are leaving there jobs because based on a report by smart trucking they want better pay, benefits, and also better working conditions. Companies now need to find a way to improve working conditions by giving the workers better pay and also rewarding their drivers.
The first step is to give drivers a set commission or hourly wage. Many drivers are paid on a cent per mile basis. This means the more they drive, the more they get paid. That’s not fair because that means that many workers have to drive far away from their families in order to get decent money. If they were to be paid a flat rates or a set hourly wage. Because as trucking watch dog stated, “Pay truckers by the hour, because they work by the hour.”
The second step would be to give there employees incentives in order to get more people to come work and have the workers they already have work harder. Companies should give there employees incentives because many truckers are alone on there journey and sleep at a truck stop or sometimes sleep on the side of the road if they can not find a stop. Being a driver also comes with risk because there can be people who want to take items from your trucks. So an incentive would want truckers to work harder because they are working TOWARDS something and no just for their paycheck.
In conclusion being truckers are now being aware that they are a viable part of the economy. And for that they should be compensated. They should be paid either a flat rate or by the hour. Also by giving them incentives.

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