Truckin' with Tamie
From CEOs to mechanics to truck drivers, women are revolutionizing the transportation industry. Tune in to "Truckin' with Tamie" where host Tamie explores the ins and outs of trucking, showcasing how this formerly male-dominated field is now opening its doors to women worldwide. We cover the issues affecting women entering the industry for the first time, CDL Schools and training programs, and adjusting to life on the road. We will interview women in various positions in the trucking industry, and get the real scoop on what to expect as a woman in this field.
Truckin' with Tamie
The Truth Behind the Driver Shortage
Join us for a deep dive into the complexities surrounding the narrative of a driver shortage in the trucking industry. This episode tackles the common perception propagated by many organizations while contrasting it with actual statistics that tell a different story. With over 400,000 new CDLs issued every year, the real issue isn't the absence of drivers—it’s the staggering turnover rates that plague the sector.
We explore the myriad reasons why drivers leave the profession, from long hours and unpredictable schedules to stagnant wages that have not seen meaningful increases in decades. This conversation emphasizes the critical need for trucking companies to focus on driver retention rather than merely influx recruitment strategies.
Additionally, we delve into strategies companies can implement to improve working conditions and satisfaction rates among their drivers. Predictable schedules, better compensation, and a supportive culture are essential to keeping talented drivers on the roads. Join the conversation and discover what’s really driving the challenges in the trucking industry today. Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share your thoughts!
Good morning, welcome to Trucking with Tammy. I'm your host, tammy. Today we are going to go live. I have not went live in a while, but I want to talk about the driver shortage cry that you are hearing all across our industry. I mean, everybody who sits behind a desk is screaming driver shortage. But, as a driver and my fellow drivers will tell you from our perspective, what we see out here in the trucks and out on the roads is there is far from a driver shortage. So this week I actually did some research and wrote an article on LinkedIn and I posted that back on March 3rd. So I want to go over what I wrote in LinkedIn. So bear with me and I'll answer questions.
Speaker 1:I got some people popping in sending me messages as I go, but I just want to start by saying that for years, the trucking industry has been screaming about this supposed truck driver shortage. Right so they're claiming that there are tens of thousands of unfilled positions. That's threatening the supply chain and economic stability. Right so they're screaming crisis, crisis. Companies are recruiting new drivers, they're throwing out these huge sign-on bonuses, but what's really happening? Is there a truck driver shortage? I mean, if you're a truck driver out here, you're going to say no, because, as an experienced truck driver, uh, we are not seeing that. Uh, and in my perspective, it's not really the shortage of truck drivers, it's the problems it's maintaining or retaining the drivers that you have. So our industry has a humongous high turnover rate. Right, it's like 90%. Uh, if you watch my TikToks you'll know that uh, last year you before I did a video, uh, on Walmart's turnover rate. Uh, as a private fleet driver, and I believe when I did the video, the studies at that time, it was like 7%. Um, when the industry average is in the 80 to 90% range. So you know it, that's crazy.
Speaker 1:Uh, most of you are aware of the American Trucking Association. We call it the ATA, and if you see me looking, it's because it's snowing and we got a bit of a blizzard going on here and I keep glancing out my office window. So the American Trucking Association has been screaming about this driver shortage for a while. So they say that there's a deficit between about 60 to 80,000 drivers and they're suggesting that that number is going to climb up to like 160,000 in the next few years. And that seems really alarming, right. But if you look at other statistics, like the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, they'll tell you that what they see is completely different. So they are saying that there is roughly 1.9 million heavy and tractor trailer truck drivers employed in the United States right now.
Speaker 1:Right, and have you seen how many CDLs are being passed out? I mean, literally over 400,000 new CDLs are issued every year. 400,000. How in the world can we have a crisis and driver shortage if we are issuing 400,000 new CDLs annually? Okay, so why are they struggling to fill the seats?
Speaker 1:Well, it's not because they can't find newbies. I mean, they. They got newbies coming into the industry, paying these outrageous school fees and, um, jumping in with these mega carriers in the CDL mills like crazy, right, so they're bringing them in, but they're not keeping them. They're not, so they're treating the drivers like crap. I mean, come on, the job satisfaction is horrible. It's very low. Truck driving is a demanding job, right, so it's requiring drivers to spend weeks away from home. Some of these carriers expect months. They expect you to stay in their trucks for months on end.
Speaker 1:Irregular schedules you know, we all like that nine to five schedule, right, you don't get that in trucking, 14 hour days, but you have a lot of these dispatchers that you'll be on a normal daily schedule and they'll throw you some overnight stuff and you're expected just to change your schedule within hours. Tight delivery deadlines I mean I see more deadlines that are pushed out and you're sitting. You know, I just read a post today, um, about a guy who was given a load he had. If he would have drove straight through he would have had to sit for 60 hours, six zero, that's two and a half days. He decided to take his time. You know, do a little bit lollygag on the way, instead of sitting in one parking lot for 60 hours, his dispatcher threw a fit. I mean, I get it. Who wants to rush to sit for 60 hours? But that's the trucking industry, right, hurry up and rush.
Speaker 1:So many drivers are feeling pretty dang undervalued and they're burning out. So they're treating you more like cogs and machine than the skilled professionals that we are. On top of, low job satisfaction, low wages. So there, for a few years during COVID, everybody knows pay went up right. In the last year or so it has definitely went down with the reduced rates that carriers are getting and those rates suck.
Speaker 1:So right now the average pay for a truck driver is between $50,000 to $70,000 a year for long haul drivers. $70,000 a year for long haul drivers, I mean literally this is a wage that has been steady for years. So everybody's talking about the economy, how everything's getting more expensive, but it's not reflected in the money that we make. And if you're lucky you might find a carrier out there that's making six figures Walmart, for example, heavy Hall, for example. If you want to be a trainer, you know there's some jobs out there that pay that. But for the average truck driver out there we're talking $50,000, 50 to 70.
Speaker 1:And that does not compensate for the lifestyle that we have to live out here Now adjusted for inflation, and it has remained so stagnant for decades. We're not just talking a couple of years, right, decades. I mean you can look back years to see that people were making the same thing decades ago that we're making today. So really, does the pay reflect the skill, the risk, the time commitment that we have to give? Ooh, absolutely not. Add on poor working conditions, inadequate parking, and now we have all these pay to park business plans popping up right Like truck parking club. Great things to have, but most of the companies aren't reimbursing or paying for these parking places the driver has to. So now we got another big cut coming out just for safe parking from an already low income rest facilities, elds. I mean that's just a whole nother discussion there and the pressure with that, where we're micromanaged and monitored every single minute. Then you throw in the cameras that are watching every move you have.
Speaker 1:A lot of companies have a lack of benefits, you know, crappy health insurance coverages, lack of time off. Like I said, some companies are expecting you to stay out months at a time instead of just weeks at a time, right, so you know we got low wages and lean benefits and it is a vicious cycle. Companies hire inexperienced drivers at these low rates and then, when they get the experience and they want better compensation, bye-bye and they move on to the next one. There is zero loyalty for drivers and zero retention. I mean it is just not there. So if the issue truly was a driver shortage, right, we'd expect to see a dwindling supply of qualified drivers that's unable to meet the demand of freight, but it's actually the opposite. Instead, the industry is training and licensing drivers at a steady pace. I mean 400,000 new CDLs, and that's a lot higher than what they need to replace retirees or fill new positions. Freight is down, so it's not like we have a lack of people able to haul freight, so, no, it's a retention problem.
Speaker 1:The distinction matters because if we shift our focus from simply hiring more drivers to addressing why they leave and we actually throw money, um, where we're throwing money at recruitment through bonuses or flashy ad campaigns and it's not solving the issues, why don't we start throwing that money at keeping our drivers? And so you know? I hear all the time oh, you don't know how much it costs to recruit a driver. Yes, yes, I do, it costs a lot. So if we're going to spend all that money to get a driver in, why don't we spend that money to keep them right? So why don't we put the money into the insurance? Why don't we put the money into trucks that actually have the amenities that they need?
Speaker 1:Do you know how hard it is on a truck driver to be in a truck that you can't idle in the summer, or that doesn't have an APU, or you expect them to live month at a time without refrigerators or inverters? To run the basic necessities of life, you need to invest in your drivers, invest in your equipment to keep those drivers, you know. So what do we need to do to break the cycle? You know, mad Max always tells me and you'll see this on my videos what's the solution. Don't just tell me what the problem is. What's your solution? Well, I'm going to give you some Ready. Are you listening?
Speaker 1:Carriers, here we go. Improve a driver's quality of life. Okay, give them more predictable schedules. Guarantee their home time. No more of this dispatcher crap where they get you close or and then and then right before home time, they they take you far away or you have something important and they can't get you home in time, but they go home every day, but your home time doesn't matter to them. Get rid of that. Make sure home time is a necessity so that your drivers do not get burnout. Reduce burnout. Give them better access to rest facilities. Okay, you know this. Team driving training I mean, yeah, you got to have team driving for some, but you know, allowing drivers to sleep in their beds more often, uh, with that, home time is important. Giving them a couple of days away from the truck is important for their mental health and for stability.
Speaker 1:Raise the bar on compensation. There's not just the base pay, right. There's not just a cents per mile. Wealth insurance matters, retirement plans matter, paid leave, short-term disability, long-term Turn this driver into a long-term career employee, all right, not just a temporary person. That's dispensable If you address the wage stagnation head on right, head on Like. I see you drivers, I see the work you do, I see that you keep America moving and I value you. Come on. If you do that, if you value your drivers, they're going to stay right. Invest in them.
Speaker 1:Training programs. So most of you don't know and I'm going to use Walmart as a great example. So Walmart has a training program that you can go and you can if you're an associate. They have an associate to driver program, right, so they will will train them to be a driver from the inside right. You have to be an employee. They also have for, for drivers and of their employees, paid education. I have heard that they had a driver to management program. So drivers don't always want to be a driver and they need something else. So what about taking somebody you already have and training them to fill other positions when the time comes right? So if you have training programs where they can progress their career, especially the younger drivers who trucking may not be the path that they want to take forever. Mentorship opportunities, you know that might also keep drivers engaged. It's a great plan.
Speaker 1:Shift your culture. So this is a huge one for me. For me, it's not just the pay, it's the culture. So treat your drivers as a skilled professional that they are, rather than dispensable. If we get into an accident, if anything happens, we are held to a standard of professionalism, but we are not treated like professionals from most of our dispatchers or fleet managers or carriers that we worked for. So listen to what they say, hear what they say and implement changes to treat those drivers like professionals and human beings, because sometimes they aren't even treated like human beings human beings, because sometimes they aren't even treated like human beings. When somebody tells you hey, you know this shipper receiver has excessive loading docks, take the time out to listen and work with your shippers and receivers to get the wait time down. You know it's little things like that. Listen to their feedback. If somebody tells you this is not a good environment, listen to them. If they tell you this is dangerous, there's potholes that'll swallow a Buick at the shipper, listen to them. They're the ones out there.
Speaker 1:So the point of all this is the truck driver shortage has been a convenient scapegoat for an industry that's reluctant to address its own flaws and there's a lot of them. High turnover is not a sign that there's not enough drivers. It's a sign that carriers are treating their drivers like crap, and you know that's something that we need to get away from. So, rather than chasing an endless stream of new hires, trucking companies should focus on keeping the drivers that they already have. I will never believe that the solution is more bodies behind the wheel, right, it's creating a profession that drivers don't want to leave. Until then, the so-called driver shortage will persist, not because drivers aren't available. It's because the industry can't hold on to the good drivers that they have. So that's my rant for the day.
Speaker 1:I do want to say that Shoal Transport who I am not familiar with, but I am going to look into after this live posted a comment on my LinkedIn article, and their comment reads, and I quote this article hits the nail on the head the real issue isn't a lack of drivers, it's retention. High turnover is a trucking industry. High turnover in the trucking industry stems from long hours, inconsistent home time and stagnant wages, not a true shortage of qualified professionals. At Shoal Transportation, we believe in treating drivers as skilled professionals, ensuring they feel valued and supported. Better pay, improved working conditions and respect for their time are key to keeping great drivers on the road. It's time to shift the focus from recruitment to retention. Thank you, shoal Transport. I greatly appreciate your comment, so that's our topic for today. Thank you for all the comments my phone is blowing up over here and for viewing this episode of Trucking with Tammy. Y'all have a great day and stay safe out there.
