The trucking industry is facing a huge shortage of drivers at the moment. According to some reports, there are about 60,000 truck driving positions that need to be filled right now, and that number could swell over the course of just a few years if trucking companies aren’t careful. Companies are doing all sorts of things to try to stop the bleeding and get more truckers behind the wheel. Here are some of the ways they’re responding to the driver shortage.
Providing truckers with increased pay
Truck driving has always been a lucrative career. It’s not necessarily the most glamorous job in the world, but it does pay well, especially if you’re willing to spend a lot of time out on the road. But these days, truck driving is even more lucrative than it has been in past years. Trucking companies have increased pay by about 10 percent recently, and they’re also offering bonuses to many new drivers for signing on with their companies.
Trying to recruit more women
Less than 10 percent of truckers today are women. But that could change in the coming years as the trucking industry makes a push to become more inclusive. The industry is trying to recruit more women to become truckers. They’re also trying to recruit more minorities and members of the LGBT community. It could potentially help save the industry by filling a lot of the jobs that are vacant right now.
Attempting to dismiss old trucker stereotypes
Those within the trucking industry believe that a lot of millennials are eschewing the trucking opportunities available to them because of the old trucker stereotypes that still exist. Many young people are under the assumption that the trucking industry as a whole is antiquated and not for them. Trucking companies are trying to do what they can to buck these old trucker stereotypes and show young people that becoming a truck driver could be a great career move for them.
Do you want to see how easy it is to find jobs in the trucking industry? Platinum Drivers can provide you with a long list of driver jobs and offer you other truck driver resources as well. Call us at 844-800-1421 today for more information.