By Brian Kenney, Vice President of Trinity Customized Logistics
Many trucking companies are trying to find a way to capitalize on the increasing demand for their services, but they know that their ability to capture additional business is going to be based on their ability to retain current drivers and to add new drivers. There is a currently a major driver shortage and it looks like it is going to get worse.
There is a significant percentage of truck drivers on the road today that are planning to retire in the next 5 years. Most trucking companies keep a very close watch on their drivers and take proactive steps to replace retiring drivers. However, the new regulations brought on by CSA will most likely force many of these drivers into retirement sooner. This will force carriers to scramble to find replacements for drivers that they were not planning on losing. CSA is also going to take many drivers off of the road that had no intention of retiring any time soon. In a country where unemployment is still hovering around 9%, you may think that it will be easy to replace these drivers because so many people are looking for jobs. Well, that is not the reality of the situation. Being a professional truck driver is not for everyone and most people that are accustomed to working a 9 to 5 job and being home in time for dinner will probably not be applying for a CDL anytime soon.
Retiring drivers and CSA causalities are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to a driver shortage. The proposed Hours of Service (HOS) change and the possible requirement of Electronic on-board recorder (EOBR) will severely limit the ability of carriers to service their customers and will require more drivers to move the same amount of freight that is being moved today. If you are keeping score you will notice that there are many factors that are taking drivers off of the road.
As a result of the growing driver shortage, carriers are paying more for their drivers. Some drivers with good CSA scores are taking full advantage of the situation and acting like a superstar free agent in baseball and going to work for the company that will pay them the most. Many carriers are also offering sign on bonus to attract both established drivers as well as first time drivers. Drivers are in such demand that many carriers will give the drivers final say whether or not they take a particular load. We are heading towards a market where carriers are going to make a decision not to service a customer because the driver doesn’t want to go to a particular shipper or receiver.
So, if you are a shipper you should make your freight and your facilities as carrier friendly as possible (for ideas on how to make your freight more carrier friendly see our blog: Carrier Capacity: Look Beyond the Bid). Be prepared to pay more for less service and prepare your customers for possible service problems. It is carrier’s world and all indication are that it will be that way for the foreseeable future.
For more on this topic, see Part I of this series: “It’s a Carrier’s World”
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