Jobs and unemployment are often things that are discussed regularly on the news, more recently because of the unemployment rate being the lowest it has been in years. However, while other industries are seeing their jobs being filled, the trucking industry is still facing a severe shortage of drivers. Almost anything that is sold in the United States touches a truck at some point and if it doesn’t, the materials that are used to make that product does. With companies prospering and growing at the rate they have been, especially those such as Amazon, more and more raw materials and finished goods are needing to be shipped but trucking companies are finding it hard to have drivers available to do this, but why?
Trucking companies are doing everything that they can to attract and retain drivers such as offering bonuses, pay increases, benefits, and even recruiting those they wouldn’t have before, it is still not enough. According to The Washington Post there are about 63,000 open position in the industry this year and that number is only expected to double. Even with everything that companies are doing to attract drivers they can’t fill the positions because of the lifestyle the job brings with it. Trucking is still one of the most dangerous jobs in the country and fatality isn’t the only problem that truckers face. Many are required to leave their families, children, and wives for long periods of time. This causes divorces and parenting issues to be very common. Health is also an issue as weight gain and heart disease contribute to the hardships of the job. Lack of respect from other motorists, police officers, and the companies they work for are also all complaints made by people who have worked or work in the industry.
With all of these issues and complaints it is easy to see why there is such a shortage happening and no one really knows if there is a solution. With the shortage, businesses face delivery delays and the struggle of whether or not to pass the rising freight costs onto their customers. Here at ChemCeed we strive to make sure that deliveries and shipments are made in a timely and efficient manner but we have also noticed what the shortage has done. In order to combat this, we have recommended that customers be more flexible with their delivery dates and take into consideration the delays that may happen when placing orders. These are just a few things that we can do to make sure that this shortage doesn’t negatively impact our customers.