In recent months, the salaries of truck drivers in the United States have experienced an uncommon surge. According to reports, the reason behind the rise in salaries of truck drivers is the shortage of drivers in the country.
Initially, it was thought that introducing a raise in the salaries of the truck drivers would solve the problem. This would compel experience truck drivers as well as new drivers to come towards the truck driving. Unfortunately, the movie did not turn out to be a success as it was unable to solve the scarcity of drivers in the country.
Ever since the pandemic hit the United States, the trucking business in the country has shot through the roof. The reason is that majority of the people in the country have started placing orders through e-commerce and online platforms.
As a result, the number of deliveries through trucks has surged all over the world and especially, in the United States. However, the United States is currently facing a huge problem, which is that the country has a shortage of truck drivers.
This is resulting in many truck companies carrying out long-distance deliveries. Therefore, the delivery companies are willing to pay high wages to the truck drivers willing to take the long roads.
Due to the shortage of drivers, the trucking/delivery companies are competing with each other to get most of the drivers on board. In order to bring as many truck drivers on board as possible, the companies are willing to pay very high salaries.
The stats show that the annual turnover for truckload carrier drivers is around 95%. It is the segment of the trucking and delivery industry that carries out the deliveries of shipments that large sized. These shipments are trailer-sized and are carried out at long distances.
The stats show that the truckload carriers are the segment within the delivery industry that is experiencing the severest shortage of drivers.
One of the senior and experienced truck drivers, Daniel Walton, who is 47-year-old has shed some light on the shortage of drivers. He stated that the entire truck driving community is appreciative and happy about the recent pay surge, but they have something else going on.
The truck drivers are constantly paying close attention to the market to see exactly which company offers the best wages. If a particular company offers wages that are higher than the rest, the truck drivers may side with that company.
Daniel Walton is an experienced truck driver currently employed at Roehl Transport. The company reportedly has more than 2,300 truck drivers carrying shipments for different companies.
For now, the truck drivers are waiting for the companies to increase their wages so the companies would have to up their game and offer the best rates.
