🚚 Where are the drivers? 60,000 driver shortage reported
Is the driver shortage impacting your business? An estimated 60,000 drivers are needed to fill the gap, but hiring new drivers to replace retiring ones isn't happening fast enough. This has some businesses re-thinking their recruiting models to get more drivers behind the wheel.
Let's dig into the issue as we buckle up for today's edition of The Inside Lane.
Inside today's newsletter
🪪 FMCSA to speed up CDL process
⚖️ Litigation law changing 87 years later
🚔 Four troopers accused of CDL fraud
🛣️ Could increasing insurance costs save lives?
🌿 Cannabis transport rules
60K driver shortage is impacting U.S. trucking and supply chains
60K driver shortage is impacting U.S. trucking and supply chains
Trucking is a cornerstone of the U.S. economy, carrying 72.6% of of domestic freight by weight and 80.7% by value according to the ATA.
However, the association stresses that it’s an industry facing a severe driver shortage - some 60,000 people - which impacts supply chains and drives up costs for consumers. With no single solution, fleets and governments urgently need to work together to fill the gap.
Why is there a driver shortage? It’s a perfect storm. Complex regulations, long hours and pay constraints mean young drivers aren’t being recruited quickly enough to replace retirees. That gap has widened further as a result of layoffs during the Covid-19 pandemic.
How is the industry responding? Tackling the problem requires a multi-pronged approach. Forward-thinking fleets are redoubling their efforts to attract younger drivers, migrants, veterans and retirees from other industries while highlighting the benefits of working in a fast-changing industry. With an influx of new technology, has there ever been a more exciting time to sign up?
🙂 GOOD DAY:
The FMCSA has proposed changes to speed up commercial driver licensing, hoping to address ongoing shortages in the workforce. Reforms would offer more flexibility during training and testing, and follow a petition by the ATA asking for fewer regulatory burdens and delays.
Check out the details in Transport Topics
🙁 BAD DAY:
UPS could be about to offload some or all of its Coyote Logistics brokerage service, admitting that it hadn’t appreciated the volatility of the business. Revenue peaked during the Covid-19 pandemic, enabling UPS to leverage capacity within its truck fleet but has “come way down” since, the company said during its latest earnings call.
Read about the plans in Trucking Dive.
Georgia to end 87-year-old law on suing truck insurers directly
Georgia is likely to repeal an 87 year-old law enabling motorists injured in accidents involving trucks to sue insurers directly.
The law was introduced in 1937 to protect claimants if companies vanished without paying damages. However, critics argue that fleets are easier to trace today, adding that the rules have led to excessively large settlements and insurers refusing to provide cover in the state.
Discover more about Georgia's legislative changes in Insurance Journal.
License to deceive: Troopers charged in Mass. CDL fraud case
A Federal court has indicted six people, including four Massachusetts State Police troopers, for fraudulently issuing commercial driver’s licenses. More than two dozen drivers were given passing scores in return for favors, despite failing or not taking tests at all.
The group was indicted on 74 counts, including falsifying records, extortion and perjury, and affected drivers have been reported to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.
Dive into the details of the CDL fraud case in Freight Waves.
Could increasing truck insurance costs save lives?
There's debate over a bill proposing to raise truck fleet insurance from $750,000 to $5 million, marking the first change since 1980. Aimed at improving safety and professionalism, this increase seeks to make companies prioritize safety over profits and reduce accident rates, stirring discussions on fairness and business viability.
Explore what it means for the road ahead on StreetsBlog USA.
- Weed on Wheels: Rules for transporting cannabis
- Crash Tested: American guardrails unprepared for heavy EVs
- Pact Power: OEMs Align for ZE Future
- Signal Ahead: BMW's Eye-Activated Lane Changing Blinker
Quote of the Day:
“It has destroyed our market. No one wants to insure trucking here. And 87% of trucking companies in Georgia are small businesses, with fewer than five employees.” - Bryce Rawson, special assistant of the Georgia Department of Insurance and Safety Fire, on allowing motorists to sue truck insurers.
I’m so glad you joined us for another information-packed edition of The Inside Lane. I’m always looking for the “next big story” that affects you and your fleet operations – let me know if you see or hear of anything we should be covering in this newsletter.
Comments ()