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Don't believe that, trucking will never have a shortage. The problem is the wages are too low. LTL is the highest paid drivers overall, but their wages are declining to no freight.
Actually, per Transport Topics and HD Trucking the shortage is expected to eclipse 100k drivers from a conservative standpoint.
Overall the trucking industry, just about like every other "rewarding" but "hard work" industry just isn't "pretty" to our new generation.
You will find that many drivers and many people in this industry are over 50. Many with 30+ years of service. Also, with the massive increase in drug use nationwide anymore CDL candidates are even hard to find.
Will there be a shortage? You will find many walking in to "drive a truck" but how many "quality" drivers and long term drivers can folks find? If the younger generation would actually look at trucks today they will find highly technological machines. air ride, smooth drive, and quiet engines and the freedom of the open road. Add that to a good payday if you really want to "work".
Compare today to the old double clutch, spring ride, tie down your goods before lifting the cabover, double shift transmission Today's rigs are better than an Airstream RV, but you need training and a serious safety attitude to operate one.
Bascailly the worse porblem is the truckers trhemselves since they have grown into independents. i mean truckers use to be called the nights of the highwya when i was a kid. Now they more and more will ru people over. I think rail freight in coming yuears will grow so as to reduce the cost of highway sytem maintenance. Weneed to stop buildig more higheays with teh cost to maintain and best way is to reduce grownig turcker traffic. Wiht fuel cost it is just matter of time. There will always being truckers but noit to the extent now;especaily long haul.That is the real future of rail as fuelk cost goes up weith it efficency in long hauls.
Im wondering what the general public knows about the trucking industry? and what some of you think of truckers and what they do for our country... and how much people know about what they go through everyday to make a living for them selves and there families... without truckers america stops even the military, truckers keep them going also...
I worked on the railroad and old timers used to say if there were no truckers we all would starve....
Everything that is on a train was on a truck and will be again on a truck... with the exception of some grain and coal... trains are less expensive but take way to long and as i said everything on a train was and will be again on a truck...
I would disagree with taking too long on trains everything now is based on time needs to end warehousing,trailer trains from the east coast to Chicago will be better served when they finish the Heartland corridor for double stacks...i believe it takes 48 hours now.They have high tech equipment [AEI] to keep track of their trains and loads at all times and our more customer focused today.Yes at some point trucks will haul these loads but look at how many trucks that will been taken off our highways saving tax payer money on repairs? Railroads maintain their own right of way [ROW]...
At one point in my life, I wanted to be a long haul trucker... I suspect a lot of people have. But now as I am getting close to 60, my endurance for long driving is fading and I am really amazed at these guys and how long they can go, be away from home, and 'working' a bigger percentage of their 'workday' than 99% of the people on ANY job. A while back, when diesel hit $4 a gallon, a lot of the small guys just parked their trucks - there was no profit left. If that happens again, watch out -
Im wondering what the general public knows about the trucking industry? and what some of you think of truckers and what they do for our country... and how much people know about what they go through everyday to make a living for them selves and there families... without truckers america stops even the military, truckers keep them going also...
Trucking is in trouble. They cut back big time and are now having problems delivering on time. Backlogs are starting to happen as there are not enough drivers.
The railroad industry is also looking for a "few good men" to drive the trains as well as engineer the new developments of high speed rail as are most other industries. Once the greybeards start retiring there will be a huge shortage of people to do the work. I can only hope economics rules and these people get paid what they are really worth instead of the pittance the boomers received.
Today’s kids are smart enough to evaluate what is involved and will go where they are respected and well paid. That has not been in the Trades for the last forty years. Why sit alone in the cab of a truck when you can make more money in a warm dry and much safer cubicle?
We hear so much whining about how open the US/Mexico border is. Contributing to this is allowing Mexican motor carriers to enter. This was a DOT/FMCSA decision that happened under the Bush Administration, in part because the powerful ATA (American Trucking Assn) lobbied for it. The reason was pure profit (over safety) and the ATA leans Right big time.
The railroad industry is also looking for a "few good men" to drive the trains as well as engineer the new developments of high speed rail as are most other industries. Once the greybeards start retiring there will be a huge shortage of people to do the work. I can only hope economics rules and these people get paid what they are really worth instead of the pittance the boomers received.
Today’s kids are smart enough to evaluate what is involved and will go where they are respected and well paid. That has not been in the Trades for the last forty years. Why sit alone in the cab of a truck when you can make more money in a warm dry and much safer cubicle?
You are right my son is a engineer and was off for 16 months now he is working everyday since the greybeards...like me retired.The railroads pay and benefits are still good and he is thinking of buy a house.Hope things get alot better soon with the news around my area with Sun Coke and the A-plant jobs coming....
When I first looked at railroading the New York Central not only still existed, it was operating the 20th Century Limited, and I had a chance to sit at the throttle and operate it. Even then I could see that the railroad was going downhill as the equipment was getting old and not well maintained. I never gave a thought to a career with the railroads.
If starting out I would now consider railroading but never trucking.
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Today's rigs are better than an Airstream RV, but you need training and a serious safety attitude to operate one.
