In 2018, the number one concern of fleets surveyed by the American Trucking Research Institute (ATRI) in their yearly Top Industry Issues Report was the continuing driver shortage. The need to recruit and train new drivers is nothing new. In fact, in 12 out of the 14 years ATRI has conducted this survey, the driver shortage has been in the top three concerns.
The trucking industry continues to grow. According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), nearly 71% of all the freight tonnage of transported in the US was hauled by trucks. E-commerce will continue to drive this growth and the need for new drivers as the driver population–mostly male and over 55 years of age–continues to age out.
New Labor Pool
The need to tap into different labor pools for new drivers continues to be a topic of conversation wherever logistics professionals meet up. Conversations focus on younger drivers, military veterans, and women. Here at Blue Eagle Logistics, we’ve hired six female drivers in the last two years, and we’re looking to hire more.
Check out this great feature story on Blue Eagle Logistics’ Women in Trucking
At Blue Eagle Logistics, we are proud of our highly-qualified female drivers. They are capable, strong, and excited about a career that doesn’t involve a desk. We’re talking about truck driving for a new generation. Our women drivers enjoy having a career that didn’t require them to take on exorbitant student loan debt. They like the autonomy that comes from driving a truck. And they enjoy the great wage and benefits that truck driving pays these days.
Women in Trucking
We believe that in order to combat the driver shortage which could top 100,000 in a few short years, the trucking industry must be creative in its attempts to attract women to these driving positions. Some of this creativity could include better recruiting practices, as well as, a focused attention on making the industry safer for women. According to the Women In Trucking Association, only 8% of truck drivers today are women.
Here at Blue Eagle Logistics, we are proud to be at the forefront of growing that number. Our female drivers can do everything our male drivers do!