In-depth coverage
The Springfield News-Sun provides unmatched coverage of jobs and the economy in Clark and Champaign counties. For this story, the paper spoke to area truck companies, industry experts and education officials to highlight demand for workers in the transportation industry.
By the numbers:
240,000 — Truck drivers expected to be needed in the workforce nationally by 2024
46.5 — Median driver age in 2013
97 percent — Turnover rates at large truckload carriers
$99,000 — Amount ODE provided to Clark State’s CDL program last fall
Clark State Community College has started a loan program to help cover the cost of the college’s commercial driver’s license program as the trucking industry continues to see increasing demand for drivers.
As many as 240,000 new truck drivers will be needed by 2023, according to a report from HireRight, a firm that provides background checks and other services for businesses. The survey also noted that the industry disproportionately depends on workers 45 years and older.
But some experts argued workers face several challenges, from long hours to burdensome regulations that make the work more increasingly difficult.
The Ohio Department of Higher Education awarded $99,000 to Clark State’s driving program last fall, allowing students who aren’t eligible for other funding sources to apply for a loan to assist with the cost, said Tom Hiscwa Jr., director of the Commercial Transportation Training Center at Clark State.
Students must be Ohio residents and be accepted into the commercial driver’s license program to be eligible.
In Springfield Imperial Express is looking to hire six to seven drivers, Vice President Dale Briggs said. It mostly hauls parts from auto suppliers to Navistar’s facility in Clark County and has about 35 drivers. The company was recently honored as a Diamond Supplier by Navistar for its performance.
“All the carriers in the area are desperately seeking drivers,” Briggs said.
He recently became certified as a driver/trainer, allowing him to provide additional training to students after they acquire their commercial license.
The company offers several incentives to draw new employees into the industry, including routes that allow drivers to return home on the weekends more often and dedicated routes so drivers have a more steady routine.
“Quite honestly the economy picked up faster than we can get new drivers into the system, so it’s a lagging situation right now,” Briggs said. “And the younger generation just isn’t as interested in driving trucks.”
But the trucking companies have a difficult time retaining drivers, including due to over-regulation by the federal government, said Anne Balay, a former long-haul trucker and visiting professor of Anthropology at Haveford College who has studied the industry.
Drivers are subject to increasing amounts of micromanagement and surveillance, she said, including devices that regulate a driver’s speed, which might sound good but could also lead to unsafe driving conditions in case of an emergency.
“There are things about the job that are really fun, especially if you’re a little bit of a rebel or a dreamer,” Balay said. “I love that part but the amount of micromanagement and obsessive surveillance and rules that now characterize trucking I was not expecting and I found completely horrifying.”
She also pointed out the industry also has a high rate of turnover, and argued many companies misrepresent the amount of money a driver can make.
A 2015 report by the American Trucking Associations shows turnover rates have been above 90 percent in recent years, although much of that rate can be traced to drivers jumping from one company to another for higher pay or better benefits. Private fleets and companies that haul smaller amounts of freight typically have much lower turnover due to more time at home and better pay, according to the ATA.
Hicswa tells new students up front that trucking isn’t for everyone, but it can be a good career for drivers who understand the challenges of the job. Clark State’s training lasts five weeks and the college typically trains more than 100 drivers a year.
“We have probably 30 different motor carriers that will call on us to hire our students right out of school so the demand is very high,” Hicswa said.
The industry also employs workers in a variety of fields, including management, warehouse workers, mechanics and logistics.
“We try to let them know that maybe you’ll start out as a truck driver, but as the years go by you may want to move within the company to a safety position, management or warehousing,” Hicswa said. “There are more opportunities, but driving a truck is a good way to get a start.”
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