When thinking about a career change, you want to be certain that you’re looking at an industry with growing wages and open positions. Well, look no further than truck driving.
Let’s start with the first point: wages.
“According to the quarterly, Trends in Truckload Recruitment and Retention survey from background screening services provider Driver iQ, 72% of recruiters predicted that driver compensation will increase in the second quarter, while 28% said it will remain the same.” (Source)
Think about that: Nearly three-quarters of industry insiders predict continuing rises in wages. And, rising wages can only mean good things for drivers.
From the same article: “Entry-level drivers have become a prized target in the past five years, with 54% of carriers saying they hired these prospects in the first quarter of 2018, up from 30% in the fourth quarter of 2012.”
This statistic doesn’t surprise us at all. In the past month, we’ve had at least one visit per week from companies looking to hire our students. Schneider, Kris-Way, Superior Carriers, Sysco–just to name a few–are hiring, and they keep our Career Development staff jumping with requests to interview our students.
Why the uptick in recruiting?
“According to a report from the American Trucking Associations(ATA), the trucking industry faces a serious shortage of drivers, with a need to hire nearly 900,000 new operators over the next decade just to maintain the current workforce.” (Source)
Read that closely: that number is just to maintain the current workforce. It doesn’t account for new jobs that are being created nationwide.
Why is this? According to the American Transportation Research Institute, one in four of today’s drivers are 55 years of age or older. As these drivers look to retirement, younger drivers will need to take their place.
Why wait? If you’ve been thinking about a career in truck driving, now is the time. Visit our program page to learn more and enroll. Specific questions? Email or call 207-805-8000.
