Posted on 02/21/2019 5:55:08 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Retailers are facing a shipping squeeze, and the trucking industry just can't keep up.
According to the American Trucking Associations, there's a shortage of roughly 50,000 truck drivers across the country. And it's hitting both businesses and consumers in the wallet.
Companies are complaining about how the driver shortage is impacting their business. Meanwhile, the cost of convenient shipping is starting to catch up with consumers.
Amazon recently hiked its Prime membership to $119 a year from $99 a year. The retail giant said one of the reasons for the price jump was increased shipping costs.
But the driver shortage isn't just because of demand created by online shopping. There's a lot going on behind the scenes, according to Bob Costello, chief economist at American Trucking Associations.
"We have a demographics problem, demand is strong, trucks haul over 70 percent of the freight tonnage, our average age is very high, [and] we don't have enough females," said Costello.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
Rail to distribution points and truck locally.
I thought they wanted truck drivers? What would gender have to do with qualifications on driving?
Hmm. Let’s see.
We could either (a) raise wages for truck drivers to attract an increased supply, or (b) throw open the borders to anyone who can walk in.
I wonder which our elites will chose.
Around four million new workers enter the labor force every year; 50,000 people is 1.25% of that.
If they’d pay well, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Labor is subject to supply & demand, just like anything else.
So the COC advocates for the importation more foreign nationals, or politicians and others look the other way as illegals crash the border, driving wages down and taxes up.
Good money in trucking. Just have to give up your guns due to DOT regulations.
I have a great idea. Instead of sending out all these goods by truck, why not bring them all to centralized locations in large buildings where the general public could go, inspect the goods, and purchase them directly without having to wait for a truck to arrive at their home.
You could have sales representatives on hand to discuss the purchases and assist with selection.
These storehouses could be grouped together in buildings that are currently vacant but have lots of handy parking spaces. These places are known as shopping malls.
I’m surprised nobody thought of this before me.
They could start by denying welfare to those able to work.
The quality of that workforce would be so low, though,
they’d best be hired in non-critical positions.
Just give early release in our nations prisons. Just make sure here’s plenty of action at the truck stops.
we don’t have enough females,” said Costello.
Good money in trucking. Just have to give up your guns due to DOT regulations.
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Not true.
“”Driverless trucks are decades away,” Costello said. “That is not the solution.”
The man is a fool.
And a Luddite.
We don’t have the rail capacity to operate that way.
I got you Miss Spain as your travel partner! It says “girl” right on her ID.
Their potential labor pool is much smaller than it is for other jobs because so few women want to do it.
And that's the whole issue. They'd have to pay me 200k to live in one of those trucks. And what's that after taxes? 125k and no life? It's just not enough for the sacrifice. Then throw in icy roads, nasty weather, incompetent drivers et al.
As a female trucker I agree unless there is some kind of government incentive.
Just so she’s a Herspanic.
I agree with that. It’s been a long campaign, a multi-pronged approach.
Welfare and “benefits” aren’t a great way to live, but millions of people are willing to look the other way, since it doesn’t matter to them whether jobs are taken and wages driven down. The corporations offshore due to regulations, EPA violations, OSHA, health care, lawsuits and taxes etc etc, and inshore foreign laborers.
Everybody cheats and cost shifts everything to the taxpayer.
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