{"id":524,"date":"2015-03-20T16:24:49","date_gmt":"2015-03-20T16:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/?p=524"},"modified":"2017-02-07T23:14:37","modified_gmt":"2017-02-07T23:14:37","slug":"are-youth-women-and-returning-veterans-the-answer-to-the-driver-squeeze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/are-youth-women-and-returning-veterans-the-answer-to-the-driver-squeeze\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Youth, Women, and Returning Veterans the Answer to the Driver Squeeze?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The truck driver shortage is constantly being talked about within industry circles. While to some the subject may have been beaten into the Earth, it still remains a problem. From recruiting laid-off oil workers<\/a> to offering lucrative pay packages<\/a>, trucking is scrambling to fill truck driver seats.<\/p>\n

The new salvo in the ongoing recruiting push is in recruiting people that don\u2019t readily make up the bulk of truck drivers today: young people, women, and veterans. Let\u2019s take a closer look at the efforts being made to get as many bodies into seats as possible.<\/p>\n

Targeting Youth<\/strong><\/p>\n

Generally speaking, the youth of today don\u2019t view trucking as a desirable profession. The nature of our society is to push youth from high school to college to a cubicle. The data bears this out, as the majority of truck drivers are either empty nesters or people in their 40s seeking a second career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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One of the problems is that federal regulations stipulate that someone must be 21 before they can become an interstate truck driver, due to federal regulations. Once they\u2019ve hit that age, they will most likely have already gotten involved in another trade or profession, even if they had been interested in trucking before that.<\/p>\n

Add in that most insurance carriers need drivers to be at least 23 years old with two verifiable years of experience, and you can see where the problem lies. This problem is particularly acute for small and mid-size fleets that don\u2019t or can\u2019t self-insure.<\/p>\n

While some groups are developing initiatives to help address this problem, not all fleets can put out the kind of investment necessary in training younger drivers. Nor might they have the kind of leverage that would allow them to negotiate a younger driving age with their insurance companies.<\/p>\n

As a result, the ATA is pushing Congress to include a lower driving age in the upcoming federal highway bill. Should this pass, expect to see a lot more targeted efforts in recruiting America\u2019s youth.<\/p>\n

Targeting Women<\/strong><\/p>\n

The number of women who are commercial truck drivers makes up only 5 \u2013 7% of the total, which leaves a huge labor pool to tap.\u00a0 Many carriers are catching onto this and have stepped up their efforts in highlighting the successes and experiences of female drivers.<\/p>\n

Strategies that carriers are employing include making sure their recruiting ads appeal to both men and women and showcasing women in high profile management roles. Other fleets are addressing the physical differences between males and females and how it affects truck makers\u2019 ergonomics.\u00a0 Some specs that are considered \u201cfemale-friendly\u201d include automated transmissions, height and placement of grab handles and easy access to maintenance checks.<\/p>\n

The final arrow in the quiver of recruiting female drivers lies in addressing truck driver culture. It\u2019s no secret this is an industry dominated by men. Companies are beginning to revisit their sexual and gender harassment policies and highlighting that women truck drivers are every bit the equals to their male counterparts.<\/p>\n

Targeting Veterans<\/strong><\/p>\n

Several trucking associations have come out committing themselves to advocating the hiring of thousands of veteran truck drivers in the coming years. Fleets are also committed to boosting their veteran truck driving numbers.<\/p>\n

Quite a few companies, such as J.B. Hunt, already boast a truck driving workforce that is 20% made up of veterans. Their onboarding process pairs new truck drivers with another veteran from the training staff. Interacting with someone who knows exactly what the new hire is going through helps guard against attrition and provides an easier transition.<\/p>\n

Another little known aspect of hiring veterans relates to one of the problems with hiring youth. Many high school graduates who join the military do a four-year stint and then transition back to civilian life, which puts them at the 22 year old age needed to get a CDL and be insured. This is perfect timing from the eyes of a carrier.<\/p>\n

But will a focus on younger truck drivers, women, military veterans, or other recruits be enough? If fleets want to be able to meet demand and keep commerce moving, they need to tap a wider labor pool for their drivers. These are just some first steps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The truck driver shortage is constantly being talked about within industry circles. While to some the subject may have been beaten into the Earth, it still remains a problem. From recruiting laid-off oil workers to offering lucrative pay packages, trucking is scrambling to fill truck driver seats. The new salvo in the ongoing recruiting push … Read moreAre Youth, Women, and Returning Veterans the Answer to the Driver Squeeze?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[140,170],"yoast_head":"\nAre Youth, Women, and Returning Veterans the Answer to the Driver Squeeze? - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/are-youth-women-and-returning-veterans-the-answer-to-the-driver-squeeze\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are Youth, Women, and Returning Veterans the Answer to the Driver Squeeze? - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The truck driver shortage is constantly being talked about within industry circles. 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