[BBC] The American Trucking Associations (ATA) estimates that the US is short 80,000 truckers - an all time high for the industry. And if nothing changes, the shortfall could reach 160,000 over the next decade.
The lack of drivers has made it hard to get products from ports to shop shelves and is driving up prices for a wide variety of products ahead of the winter holidays.
| BLUF: Long hours and low pay in an industry where the average age is 49 and historical turnover is 90%. And of course the pettifogging rules in California have caused so many shipping containers to pile up awaiting the few drivers who meet the rules to take cargoes across the California border. Nonetheless, wait times for truck driver schools have tripled, a hopeful sign for the future. |
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