Increasingly, we rely on the delivery of goods shipped far from where they’re manufactured and housed. This form of coast to coast business is great for companies large and small and their diverse markets of online customers.
But with the growth in shipping demand so rises the need for truckers, a demand that the trucking industry is increasingly struggling to meet.
This is happening even as truck driving salaries are rising substantially. With strong wages to offer and plenty of job openings, will the trucking industry manage to employ a new generation of workers or will it continue to struggle to meet the demands of a new online economy?
Thousands Of Jobs Open To New Hires
One of the primary reasons the trucking industry is lacking workers also affects manufacturing, construction, and other industries throughout the U.S. Aging employees are now retiring by the thousands.
Every year, experienced workers are leaving the workforce and leaving many trucking companies in the lurch. The industry is now trying to fill nearly 50,000 trucking jobs with some companies offering as much as $73,000 per year.
Qualified Workers Elusive
Considering the nationwide call for jobs that offer a living wage, it’s a wonder that the U.S. trucking industry isn’t having an easier time of filling those jobs.
The problem is not a lack of applications but a lack of qualified ones. Trucking is also quite different from your average nine-to-five. Drivers may enjoy a hearty salary and steady work but in exchange they must account for long hours and weeks far from home.
Attracting a younger workforce can be difficult for many types of industrial companies, but add to the fact that driving experience matters, most companies will not hire drivers under age 21, and a lot of young people are chasing jobs that offer flexible hours and a more tech-centric focus.
Automation To the Rescue?
Some have suggested an approach that’s now in full swing in many manufacturing and production facilities: automation. But can automation really work for shipping?
Driverless trucks and delivery drones could potentially do the work of getting goods from one region to the next, but the logistics of employing such technology are still very much to be determined. Additionally, the process of fully developing and actually implementing such solutions are still years away.
An Unemployment Solution Or A Potential Business Crisis?
As the trucking industry is attempting to find new drivers by focusing veterans and attracting new workers with higher pay, will it be enough to meet with the growing delivery demand?
Will the increasing worker shortage evolve into a valuable employment resource or will it just manage to slow more businesses and their reliance on shipping?
Tell us what you think about this issue in the comments.
Article Sources:
http://time.com
http://money.cnn.com
http://www.moneytalksnews.com
