Posted on 12/16/2021 8:38:10 AM PST by dynachrome
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will join Labor Secretary Martin J. Walsh and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese in unveiling details behind the Biden-Harris Trucking Action Plan during a White House roundtable with trucking-industry leaders.
The trucker shortage, which the industry has warned of since at least the 1980s, has reached critical mass, as COVID-19 shutdowns have triggered widespread layoffs while temporarily closing the state DMVs and driver-training schools that serve as the industry’s pipeline.
A senior administration official said the problems that the plan aims to address are longstanding and not merely a result of industry shake-up from the pandemic.
“But in this worker-centered recovery, these new investments and infrastructure, and this new focus by this administration, gives us the opportunity to work together across industry, government and labor to take these challenges on,” the official said.
The plan aims to put more drivers behind the wheel by stepping up initiatives to recruit more military veterans into the industry, and by launching an apprenticeship accelerator aimed at helping employers start or grow their apprenticeship programs.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
What about the union truck drivers?
Over the road trucking is a lifestyle that isn’t for most people no matter what you pay.
That said the pay should be better considering all the hours.
I was in my truck 100+ hours per week a few years ago. That includes mandatory DOT breaks. I’m 65 and talked my boss into cutting my miles. Now I’m driving about 2300 miles for a roughly 45-50 hours plus 20 hours DOT break. I like my job but the hours can be killer.
Long time away from home made longer by time and speed limitors installed on trucks. Low pay added on top of it.
It’s not just the speaking English you have to worry about. None of them can read English, you know, for the road signs and stuff. Most of them can not read Spanish either.
It’s not just the speaking English you have to worry about. None of them can read English, you know, for the road signs and stuff. Most of them can not read Spanish either.
—
Worse, the imported Afghanis can nether count not tell left from right. It will be fun out there !
Their undocumented, they may as well be unlicensed and uninsured.
good they will all be finishing training just as Trump retakes the presidency :)
A friend of mine works for the DMV and shared this recently...
https://tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov/?fbclid=IwAR3IsjkKOsK-F8mB2EqGvJUuyEbprU3E7-qpZ_bDZXx7ZQbaLnZ-BuFXBu0
“..Okay, If YOU owned a trucking company would you want to put a person behind the wheel of a $200K tractor, pulling a $90K trailer with some ones product on/in that trailer that could not pass a drug test? Do you have any idea what the liability insurance alone costs for a trucking company?
A good friend of mine had been in the trucking business ever since he got out of high school. At one point, and not that long ago, he had at least dozen tractors traversing the country. With the advent of electronic logging and the increased liability insurance, he finally tossed in the towel. Sold all the rigs and trailers and now does land clearing/digging for local construction jobs. He’s home every night, makes about the same money and the insurance is about 1/3 of what the trucking business was.
Yeah there’s a disconnect between legal grass states and CDL requirements for sure.
Time for a nationwide truckers strike, or at least a refusal to deliver to big cities. It won’t take more than a few days of this to bring the nation to its knees - and then rules can be put in place by law to both update the way truckers are compensated and to keep as many existing drivers as possible by getting rid of the vax requirements altogether and banning anyone from being licensed if they are either illegally here or are legal but have been here less than 5 years.
What is happening in the trucking industry is that the wage scale is going up as drivers are getting offered better deals with signing bonuses.
Instead of being a long haul driver, being gone for a day or two at a time. They are taking jobs for more money with a dedicated route that they can be home every night. Waste Management was offering signing bonuses to be a garbage truck driver around here. They were offering even more money if your were also a diesel mechanic.
My dad was an owner operator in the 1960s-1985 when he retired. He would be gone for two-five days depending on the haul. Then when he was home he/we were working on the truck.
My boss paid 60 thousand a year, for 10 dump trucks, another driver had a wreck, his fault, insurance went to 120,000. It’s not cheap that’s for sure, can’t imagine what insuring a 18 wheeler is.
Horrible idea from a white house chock full of horrible ideas.
I quit when they introduced the stupid "moving vehicle" and 10 hour rest period.
That is: any travel in a Moving vehicle, skateboards, bicycle, scooter, motor cycle, car, taxi, Ube, coach, Greyhound bus, train, airplane is to be regarded as "on duty" and requires a mandatory 10 hour rest period.
I used to ferry trucks from LA to Oakland dealer (who was open 24/7)
Pick up Truck in LA in morning, drive to Oakland and deliver vehicle, Taxi to Oakland Greyhound Terminal and sleep all the way back to LA to pick another vehicle up.
I realize that was meant in jest———— I’m just not so sure it’s a joke.
It was not said in jest.
bingo
oops
Whew!
They are relegated to merely driving cars and SUVs then.
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