The trucking
industry has rebounded from economic downturn and demand for drivers is
expected to continue to grow, according to industry analysts and local
trucking companies.
Demand for drivers
is expected to grow by 21 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics and enrollment numbers at truck driving schools are running
high. It’s expected the country will need 330,000 new truckers by 2020.
“We went three or four years with very few people
getting trained in the industry,” said George Brooks, general manager
of Taylor Truck Line Inc. in Northfield. “The demand is back and
everybody is short drivers.”
Locally, McLane held a job fair in October as well as in the summer to attract new drivers, but President Ernie Hurlbut said the driver shortage isn’t affecting business.
Both McLane and Taylor have focused on driver retention.
“You’ll have to pay better and provide good working conditions to keep the drivers you have,” Hurlbut said.
Truck companies have increased pay in an attempt to attract drivers in a competitive atmosphere and more routes offer drivers the opportunity to have weekends off.
The amount of experience companies require as a minimum has decreased as well. The minimum typically ran at two years in the past, but many require just six months experience.
Heavy Metal Truck Training in Inver Grove Heights offers classes for prospective drivers and recently opened another training facility in Rochester in October to meet the demand.
First-year average earnings run from $38,000 to $42,000, said Gary Pressley, president of Heavy Metal Truck Training. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual median pay is $38,200. The pay gets substantially better after drivers get three years of experience. Wages can reach $60,000, Pressley said.
The increased use of rail to transport oil from North Dakota and other areas has increased the need for trucks to move more freight. The trucking industry is short about 35,000 drivers, according to the American Trucking Association. In order to fill the need, the industry has started to attract women drivers as well. Women make up just 5 percent of the truck driving workforce, according to labor statistics but that number is rising.
Finding women trainers also poses a problem. With so few women in the industry to begin with, trucking schools and carriers have a difficult time finding women as trainers.
“It’s kind of a catch-22 because the industry needs more women to train women,” Pressley said.
Heavy Metal Truck Training offers a variety of courses and job placement for trucking students. A student can receive a 160-hour Class A CDL in four weeks for $3,995. The cost of training turns some away but many carriers offer tuition reimbursement and unemployed workers can be eligible for funding as well. Minneapolis residents can also qualify for funding through the city of Minneapolis RENEW program.
Federal regulations recently limited the number of hours drivers can log on the road, which has driven the need for more drivers as well.
Fewer younger drivers have entered the workforce. The average age of a truck driver is 48 years old, according to the Bureau of Labor of Statistics. Less than 8 percent of drivers are 25 to 29 now.
The urgent demand for drivers has driving schools like Heavy Metal Truck Training getting students pre-hired and placing nearly 98 percent of students in trucking positions, Pressley said.
Carriers have extended sign-on bonuses for new drivers and over the road companies have increased wages 15-20 percent, Pressley said.
Some carriers have started their own training schools in order to combat the driver shortage. Some have contracted with Heavy Metal Truck Training to help fill the shortage.
The industry faced a shortage before the economic downturn, but it went largely unnoticed because there wasn’t as much freight to ship at the time.
With the economy taking a turn for the better, even more drivers will be needed to meet the demand.
Locally, McLane held a job fair in October as well as in the summer to attract new drivers, but President Ernie Hurlbut said the driver shortage isn’t affecting business.
Both McLane and Taylor have focused on driver retention.
“You’ll have to pay better and provide good working conditions to keep the drivers you have,” Hurlbut said.
Truck companies have increased pay in an attempt to attract drivers in a competitive atmosphere and more routes offer drivers the opportunity to have weekends off.
The amount of experience companies require as a minimum has decreased as well. The minimum typically ran at two years in the past, but many require just six months experience.
Heavy Metal Truck Training in Inver Grove Heights offers classes for prospective drivers and recently opened another training facility in Rochester in October to meet the demand.
First-year average earnings run from $38,000 to $42,000, said Gary Pressley, president of Heavy Metal Truck Training. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual median pay is $38,200. The pay gets substantially better after drivers get three years of experience. Wages can reach $60,000, Pressley said.
The increased use of rail to transport oil from North Dakota and other areas has increased the need for trucks to move more freight. The trucking industry is short about 35,000 drivers, according to the American Trucking Association. In order to fill the need, the industry has started to attract women drivers as well. Women make up just 5 percent of the truck driving workforce, according to labor statistics but that number is rising.
Finding women trainers also poses a problem. With so few women in the industry to begin with, trucking schools and carriers have a difficult time finding women as trainers.
“It’s kind of a catch-22 because the industry needs more women to train women,” Pressley said.
Heavy Metal Truck Training offers a variety of courses and job placement for trucking students. A student can receive a 160-hour Class A CDL in four weeks for $3,995. The cost of training turns some away but many carriers offer tuition reimbursement and unemployed workers can be eligible for funding as well. Minneapolis residents can also qualify for funding through the city of Minneapolis RENEW program.
Federal regulations recently limited the number of hours drivers can log on the road, which has driven the need for more drivers as well.
Fewer younger drivers have entered the workforce. The average age of a truck driver is 48 years old, according to the Bureau of Labor of Statistics. Less than 8 percent of drivers are 25 to 29 now.
The urgent demand for drivers has driving schools like Heavy Metal Truck Training getting students pre-hired and placing nearly 98 percent of students in trucking positions, Pressley said.
Carriers have extended sign-on bonuses for new drivers and over the road companies have increased wages 15-20 percent, Pressley said.
Some carriers have started their own training schools in order to combat the driver shortage. Some have contracted with Heavy Metal Truck Training to help fill the shortage.
The industry faced a shortage before the economic downturn, but it went largely unnoticed because there wasn’t as much freight to ship at the time.
With the economy taking a turn for the better, even more drivers will be needed to meet the demand.
Nick Gerhardt is the Northfield News' sports editor. You can reach him at 645-1111. Follow him on Twitter @NorthfieldNick.
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