By John F. Di Leo -
There is a trucker shortage… and it's worse every year.
This is not news; this national driver shortage is no shock to businessmen or policymakers. Our driver shortage contributes to empty store shelves, idled assembly lines, retail price inflation, a reduced Gross Domestic Product, and the global supply chain crisis.
This is not just one industry’s problem; it’s everybody’s problem. What is odd, however, is that so many people believe the trucker shortage is caused entirely by not enough people choosing the profession of truck driving as a career. While that is certainly a part of it, it's not our real problem.
In fact, our truck driver shortage is caused primarily by a series of destructive government policies at every level.
Don’t forget to put in that under the new Republican tax law passed our daily per diem and work related expenses tax deduction was taken away larger standard deduction does nothing for me! Used to get $5k to $7k back a year now I have to pay while taking a zero deduction.
Are Republicans going to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act so truck drivers are no longer exempt for being paid overtime? How would like to work up to 70hrs a week without being paid overtime?
I have never seen a job so critical to our way of life while Truck Drivers are looked down upon crapped on stereotypes treated badly everywhere we go. We want trucks to make deliveries but don’t them to park anywhere in our town.
I drove small delivery trucks locally for over twenty years.
Even that was a fatiguing, nerve-wracking job.
I can’t imagine what it would be like to drive a semi rig across country for several days.
EVERYTHING moves by truck. Without these guys the nation would stand still, and we’d all starve.