The trucking industry keeps the country moving — quite literally. More than 70% of the products sold in the United States alone are moved by truck from factory to point of sale. Why, then, are so many trucking companies facing an employment crisis?
Put simply, it’s because trucking is, at its heart, a boys’ club. Most truck drivers are middle-aged white men, and the industry hasn’t done much to change this image, even though the trucking sector needs new drivers to meet the demand. So what can trucking companies do to help meet this need?
Experts believe the solution lies in changing the image surrounding trucking careers in order to entice more women and millennials to join the nationwide fleet.
Lowering the Average Age
Right now, the retirement age for people born before 1960 is 66, and this is slowly rising to 67 for those born after that date. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average age of a truck driver is around 55, meaning that many lifetime truckers are swiftly reaching the age of retirement and leaving the workforce. This, of course, is contributing to the employment crisis; there just aren’t enough new drivers coming in to replace those hanging up their hats and retiring. COVID-19 also exacerbated this problem. Last year, nearly 40% of drivers were "extremely concerned” about contracting the virus while working, and the pandemic accelerated the departure of many drivers who had already been planning an upcoming retirement.
Enticing younger generations to enter into the world of truck driving could be a great way to offset the number of drivers being lost to retirement, but what will it take to bring them into the fold?
Bridging the Gender Gap
Some careers are still seen in society as easier for one gender to perform than the other — male nurses are still looked upon as an anomaly, for example. On the other side of that coin is truck driving, in which less than 6% of the workforce is made up of women.
This is what we meant by calling trucking a boys’ club; although there are some women behind the wheel, the majority of the work is being done by older men. While trucking isn’t an easy job, both men and women can be successful in the field.
Bringing in New Blood
How can trucking companies bring in all, or even some, of the new drivers they need to help them meet the growing demand? There are more than a few things that companies can do bring in new blood.
Millennials are often highly interested in achieving a (sometimes-mythical) work/life balance, and working as a trucker can throw this off. Offering flexible work hours — or as flexible as possible, considering the type of work involved — is one way to entice new drivers to look into a trucking career.
Talking to Drivers
There’s no better way to learn what drivers want out of their career than to talk to them directly. For trucking companies, survey your drivers to find out what they want out of their jobs. What would make them consider a career in trucking, and what would make them stay if they were considering leaving?
Don’t make assumptions or think you know what is best for your drivers just because you’re the boss. Talk to them and make changes accordingly.
Digging Deep
Truck driving can be a lucrative career, but it doesn’t always have the most predictable pay scale. Most drivers, especially new ones, are paid a flat rate according to how many miles they drive during their shifts. This changeability can scare away new drivers. No one wants to work their lives away with no guarantee they’ll be able to pay the bills when they get home, after all.
But you don’t have to totally abandon the pay-by-miles setup that has served well for so long. Instead, many companies are now offering their drivers a minimum number of miles every week to help meet the high demand for truckers while still keeping their drivers paid.
Changing the Image
Sugarcoating the job isn’t the way to entice new drivers to enter the world of trucking. Be honest with them — it’s a hard job with long hours that will often take them far from home. This combination of honesty coupled with more information about the opportunities available in the world of trucking may help to entice millennials and women to pursue a new career path.