Many sectors of the economy have shown some signs of improvement over the past several months but few industries have as bright an outlook as America’s commercial trucking industry.
The state of the commercial trucking industry is closely tied with other segments of the economy, including manufacturing, retail and construction. As more products are built and purchased the need for trucks to transport those goods also increases. Weak overall growth is a concern for trucking officials but other forecasts indicate that the future of trucking is as bright as it’s ever been.
The U.S. Freight Transportation Forecast compiled in 2010 predicted substantial growth for the commercial trucking industry over the next decade. The forecast predicted that overall revenue for the commercial trucking industry will see an increase of 66 percent by 2022. It also predicted that tonnage would increase by 24 percent in the same time period.
The forecast also predicted gains in boat and train shipping, but America’s trucking industry, which accounts for over 80 percent of all freight transportation in the U.S., was estimated to be the biggest winner of all transportation methods over the next several years.
The data supports the claim that many labor officials have made that one of the best careers in terms of growth over the next several years will be CDL commercial truck drivers. More trucks mean more drivers and as the trucking industry continues to increase in business it will be looking for more professionally trained drivers to help meet the demand.
At the Diesel Driving Academy of Baton Rouge, students are prepared to help be a part of this projected growth by becoming some of the most skilled drivers on the road. Students are provided with the best professional commercial truck driver training and the school works closely with trucking recruiters to help insure students are able to quickly enter the workforce.
With all the good news about trucking, the worst part is that many trucking companies are not sure how they are going to meet the demand.
“There is a shortage of drivers everywhere,” Bill Long, owner of an Oklahoma-based trucking company, said. “We need more drivers and every other company needs more drivers. Our challenges include rising fuel costs and a slow growing economy…but my biggest challenge remains finding drivers that have what we are looking for.”
Long said his perspective is shared with many companies across the country. Many are applying for jobs as a truck driver but few appear to have the necessary skills. Long said applicants that come from professionally trained programs have a much better shot at landing a job in the commercial trucking industry because companies are desperate to hire more drivers in an effort to keep up with rapid growth.
