Truck Transportation Employment
TRUCK TRANSPORTATION EMPLOYMENT Jason Miller, PhD, Michigan State University Much has been written about the difficulty in finding truck drivers. Detailed employment data released as part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics program helps shed some light on the challenges trucking firms face regarding attracting workers. Comparing employment figures in March 2021 […]
Infrastructure Troubles Mean A Bumpy Road For Truckers
INFRASTRUCTURE TROUBLES MEAN A BUMPY ROAD FOR TRUCKERS In May, Arkansas’ Hernando de Soto I-40 bridge was closed after inspectors found a crack in a steel beam. Authorities shut down the bridge until it could be repaired or at least deemed safe, which at this point, means an indefinite closure. Truckers are bearing the brunt […]
Canada’s ELD Mandate Goes Live
CANADA’S ELD MANDATE GOES LIVE After lingering in the shadows for years, it’s finally here. The Canadian ELD mandate will go into effect on June 12, 2021. There’s just one problem – none of the electronic logging devices that are currently on the market meet the criteria established by the Canadian Council of Motor Transport […]
Amazon Is Hiring 75,000 New Logistics Positions
AMAZON IS HIRING 75,000 NEW LOGISTICS POSITIONS In what is likely a sign of things to come, Amazon announced in May that it will hire 75,000 new fulfillment and delivery positions across North America. According to Amazon, compensation for these roles starts around $17 per hour with a $1000 signing bonus. The hiring package includes […]
Stimulus Spending Will Increase Demand For Drivers
STIMULUS SPENDING WILL INCREASE DEMAND FOR DRIVERS The U.S. economy is getting close to firing on all cylinders again. With a combination of stimulus payments and robust economic indicators in the works, economists predict that Americans are going to rev up their spending. Of course, those purchases need to get moved on a truck. Carriers, […]
Career Advancement: It’s Not Just For Office Jobs
CAREER ADVANCEMENT: IT’S NOT JUST FOR OFFICE JOBS When you’re thinking about driver retention and recruitment, a challenge that may come to mind is competition from other roles. Warehousing, welding, and construction can pose challenges to finding and keeping drivers. Rising wages in truck-competitive fields can pose challenges to retaining truckers. But it isn’t always […]
Getting Gen Z Behind The Wheel
GETTING GEN Z BEHIND THE WHEEL There are a few issues out there that seem to constantly haunt trucking executives. Driver recruitment and retention is a big one, but an offshoot of that is truckers’ age. New entrants start out at 38, on average. The mean age of an experienced driver is 54. With statistics […]
New Legislation Promotes Women In Trucking
NEW LEGISLATION PROMOTES WOMEN IN TRUCKING If the lack of women in trucking is getting you down, then we have some good news for you. The Promoting Women in Trucking Workforce Act was reintroduced in February, and it’s dedicated to addressing factors that keep women from getting behind the wheel. Here’s to (hopefully) seeing more […]
NTI In The News
NTI IN THE NEWS Newsmakers, that is. NTI President & CEO Leah Shaver sat down with Transport Topics’ Dan Ronan to discuss the state of the industry – what’s keeping fleet owners up at night, where new opportunities lie, and what executives can do to keep great truckers on their payroll. There are real pressures […]
2021 = 2018 With Complications
2021 = 2018 WITH COMPLICATIONS When carriers think of 2018, they probably remember it as a stressful time. The demand for trucking went through the roof, but with unemployment barely teasing 4%, we saw would-be drivers get lured into other professions. Trucking employment stalled. Now, as we like to say, the trucking market is similar […]