The motor carriers have complained for long that there are no experienced truck drivers. The safety regulation is to blame because it led to the carriers tightening their hiring process. The truck drivers are also crying. Besides, the recent regulations with harder hiring standards but they also complain that the drivers’ shortage is to be blamed on the motor carriers alone.
The safety records about the drivers are now easily accessible to the carrier’s company because of the new regulations. However, the safety record of the motor carrier is also accessible. The motor carriers use such information to remove the drivers whom they consider safety risks. This is not good for the company since the experienced drivers are also moving to comfortable blue-collar jobs or they are retiring. There are also some carriers who even attempt in improving the safety rating by giving the drivers bonuses for their safety. But the drivers say that this is costing them money because they are making a low number of miles.
The freight bill factoring truck drivers blames also the carriers for this shortage because the qualified drivers are not able to make 50,000 or 60,000 dollars every year which has been advertised when they join the driving schools. The drivers are only able to make at least 35,000 dollars every month. To qualify as a truck driver, the student may spend around 5,000 dollars in the CDL training, however the truck drivers say that this is not quality training. While the carriers do whatever it is possible to keep experienced drivers, the truck drivers say that the best way out is to give them enough money.
Some carriers offer the bonuses for the drivers who bring in any new truck driver. In this case, the driver may bring only a driver to get the cash without considering if he is good or not. The carriers who use the referral to get new drivers, they face the problem of retention.
When it comes to the problem of retention, the drivers may like to see their miles set up for the maximum and they need them to be consistent every week. They also want the carrier to pay them for the jobs which are normally free which include unloading, dock working, loading and waiting. It is better if the carriers focuse more on the retention instead of the recruitment. Even if safety is considered to be important, the drivers also will have to lease equipment which they cannot control. They would like to see if the freight charged is reviewed. Another concern of the drivers is to end the starving of the drivers practice. The industry may need to go back to set up new regulations to increase the truck drivers since many veterans are giving their keys and it is hard to get new drivers because of the safety regulations. The carriers have to loosen some of the hiring practices while they should also be concentrating more on the company employees retention. They have to know that the country economy always relies on the truck drivers.
