Truck Driving Heroes Need a Professional Makeover

welcomed the new federal government Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program which allows 18-yearolds to drive semi trucks across state lines (so long as companies implement vigorous mentoring and coaching programs to ensure safety). This is making possible a new initiative to recruit recent graduates from high school, who previously have been prohibited by age from starting a career in the industry. Many in Generation Z are looking to start their careers right away, turned off to college by the massive amounts of debt accumulated by those who came before them. It’s advantageous to try to interest them in driving now, not wait until they turn 21 and may already be well into a different career.

Quality of life issues are increasingly important to attract and retain drivers of all ages. Ensuring that drivers are back home at night as much as possible is critical, said conference attendee Jerry Sandler, owner of 51 Trucking and former long-haul driver himself. His company is conscious about what routes they accept or decline because some are just too hard on the driver. The days of a driver being away two or three weeks at a time are gone, he said, and with the rise of last mile delivery services like Amazon, carriers have to put the driver first or they’ll lose them to competition.

It’s time to follow other industries with a new approach to driver pay, said John Marienau, cofounder of Origin Trucking in Las Vegas. Origin pays their 10 drivers a “very good” salary, and provides healthcare and a 401k. Drivers want a reliable income and in return they are loyal, he says. Origin doesn’t have an issue with retaining drivers; indeed, it has a waiting list.

A silver lining to the current driver shortage is that it may spawn a renewed respect of those behind the wheel, which could lead to long overdue refresh of the image of this underappreciated profession.