Shift Magazine - December 2021 - 19

As driver shortage adds
to supply chain woes,
industry dreams of
self-driving trucks
A STEEPER GRADE
A
BY JOHN IRWIN
truck driver shortage is contributing
to ongoing supply chain
issues in the U.S. - and making
the thought of driverless trucks
even more appealing to companies.
According to an October estimate by
Trucking
the
American
Associations,
the U.S. is short an all-time high 80,000
drivers, a factor in backups at ports and
warehouses desperate to move products
around the country faster. Given the aging
work force and anticipated freight growth,
the gap could rise to more than 160,000
drivers by 2030, the association said.
Kenny Vieth, president of ACT Research
in Columbus, Ind., said the average truck
driver in the U.S. is about 55 years old and
that the rising age of drivers has been one
of the major factors leading to the current
shortage.
At the same time, he noted that driver
wages have not kept up with inflation
over
the last several decades, making
the job less appealing to many potential
workers. He said driver jobs paid about
four times more than the average fulltime
service-sector job in 1980, the year
President Jimmy Carter signed the Motor
Carrier Act, which deregulated the trucking
industry.
Truck driving jobs pay about twice as
much as the average service-sector job
today, Vieth said.
"
" We believe that a
skilled, trained driver
is still critical to safe
operations. "
Kara Deniz, spokeswoman,
Teamsters union
" Driving is a hard, physical job where
you're separated for large hours, " he said,
adding that because of the reduced benefits
relative to inflation, many workers
would rather " just stay home and work
at Lowe's and see their kids grow up and
spend time with family instead of working
a hard job in all weather conditions. "
The current shortage has led some
companies to offer much higher pay for
drivers. Roehl Transport, for instance,
offered two pay increases to drivers
during the first four months of the year,
which it said would add up to $6,000 to a
driver's annual salary.
The average truck driver made $47,130
per year in 2020, according to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
While rising wages could help to attract
more drivers to the profession, the gap
could still prove difficult to fill as the population
ages. That's why so many companies,
from Waymo to Walmart, are interested
in autonomous trucking.
" It's because, right now, it is so difficult
to find drivers, " Vieth said.
But while companies are eager to get
their technologies on the roadway, the
Teamsters union, which represents thousands
of U.S. truck drivers, is urging them
to slow down. Kara Deniz, a spokeswoman
for the Teamsters, said that while
the union " is not opposed " to technology
that " enhances the safety and the jobs " of
its members, much more will need to be
done to prove that the technology is safe
and that it will not result in mass job losses
for drivers.
" That's a hurdle to get past because
survey after survey has found with the
public that there's a discomfort and a fear
of being on the road with an automated
truck, " she said. " There's that obstacle for
them to get over. "
She said the union believes the technology
should instead be used in a way that
would enhance the quality of driving jobs,
which would help to attract more workers
to the profession.
" We believe that a skilled, trained driver
is still critical to safe operations, " she said.
As proper usage gets sorted out, expect
companies and government to find ways
to address the shortage. For example,
the infrastructure bill President Joe Biden
signed on Nov. 15 includes the establishment
of an apprenticeship pilot program
that would allow people under age 21 to
drive commercial vehicles under certain
conditions. n
december 2021 * shift 19
"
Shift Magazine - December 2021

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