The pandemic continues to affect retail supplies and the trucking industry is often singled out for delivery delays.
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Yet, in his latest reportour journalist Richard Latendresse was able to demonstrate that truckers are only one link in the North American supply chain and that the problems go back to ports, such as Los Angeles.
But the road transport sector remains an integral part of the supply chain and it is at the end of its rope for various reasons.
First of all, labor is scarce and carriers are struggling to recruit drivers. The American Trucking Association assesses the lack of long-haul truckers at 80,000, a deficit that might increase to 160,000 drivers within 8 years if the current trend continues.
“With the state giving you money, the country giving you money, it had become more advantageous for drivers to stay at home than to go to work and they extended that for a very long time. period,” says Will Sibrian, who runs a transportation company in California.
Truckers met in Iowa in the largest truck stop in the world also maintain that their job is not for everyone. You have to travel a lot of kilometers to be able to hope to make a good profit and the schedules are difficult, especially for those who have a family.
“Crossing the border, I’m away from home for 2 weeks, minimum, at a time,” says one.
While some individuals argue that offering competitive salaries and better working conditions is enough to attract more drivers, the reality is not always so simple.
Some companies, like Sibrian Trucking, have started doing it and are now suffering the consequences.
“We have increased driver wages from $18 to $30 an hour in less than six months. It’s financially unsustainable, no matter the company. It drives up the prices for everything and what ends up happening is that it’s the customers, in the end, who are going to pay for it, ”admits Will Sibrian, the director of this company.
Watch the full report in the video above.