Welcome to 2022. As we enter another year into the pandemic, existing national supply chain disruptions that we have seen in all of 2021 remain unresolved. There has yet to be effective solutions to alleviate challenges that are causing slow downs in the national supply chain. With the new Omicron variant and Covid-19 cases surging across the country, America’s trucking industry faces more complications with labor shortages.
Can You Imagine A World Without Truck Drivers?
Truck drivers play a vital role in the economy and are responsible for transporting goods all over the nation. Think about your everyday products – groceries, toilet paper, medicine; the trucking industry is the reason for the inventory that you buy when you are at a market or a store. Truck drivers have been driving through the pandemic, delivering PPE, vaccines, and Covid-19 tests essential to stop the spread of the virus. The United States depends on the trucking industry to transport 70% of all goods anually across the nation and it is one of the largest revenue streams in the nation's economy. Some will even say this industry is taken for granted, because we sometimes do not realize that our everyday needs rely heavily on their labor.
What is Causing the Shortage?
As omicron infections increase, restrictions and government mandates arise. Faced with long weeks of quarantine combined with the precarious nature of crossing borders and fears of getting sick, some people are refusing contracts while others are looking for work elsewhere, companies say. Although trucking businesses have attempted to attract more workers by raising wages, it seems to have little impact in resolving the worst labor shortage in American trucking history. The American Trucking Association (ATA) estimated a shortage of over 80,000 truckers at the end of last year. The ATA states that another issue that contributes to the labor shortage includes high retirement rates due to the aging workforce. Young workers are not replacing the retired workers fast enough and the reason could be because the trucking life just isn’t that appealing with long haul freights away from home, making it difficult to maintain an ideal lifestyle. With the pandemic amplifying existing challenges, labor force participation reduces in the trucking industry.
If you would like to learn more about how supply chain disruptions can impact your imports, please contact info@spiritchbinc.com or call 714-738-1196 and we will be happy to assist.
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