Tag Archive for: professional truck driver jobs

Calhoun Insights into Truck Driver Resources and Retention

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The issue of truck driver pay and industry retention of the drivers is the focus of a new three-part series at Commercial Carrier Journals.

The article, “Weighing demand for drivers, Part 1: Shippers prepare for capacity crunch“ looks to cover the reasons behind the industry’s driver shortage in the US, and the impact it’s having on shippers, fleets, truck drivers, capacity and more. Writer Kevin Jones (Senior Editor, Trucking Media) sees that the simple solution to increasing the numbers of drivers should be to raise their wages. But it’s not that easy. He writes:

“Though pay in some trucking niches has surged, it has been comparatively flat for trucking as a whole. Since 2003, wages for the entire for-hire trucking industry have grown 32 percent, slightly less than the entire private work force, at 34 percent.”

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The article describes reasons besides stagnant wages why there has been what it calls a ‘persistent’ driver shortage:

  • Older drivers: A large number of long-time drivers are approaching retirement age;
  • New regulations: Many drivers have left because of new regulations like the Compliance Safety Accountability program, have pushed many drivers out of the industry;
  • Productivity losses: losses due to new hours-of-service regulations will increase driver demand, and;
  • Reluctance: Fleets are reluctant to add capacity in a sporadic economic recovery.

Let’s face facts: The last five years have not been great for the trucking industry as a whole. It’s been a prolonged period of stagnation on the economic recovery front. And moreover, driver pay won’t dramatically increase unless the trucking business costs lower or the industry as whole increases the volume of moving shipments. Under the current administration, it’s not an entirely promising outlook.

But in the midst of these difficulties, Calhoun Truck Lines has increased our driver fleet 35% this year.  Much of our firm’s success relates to allocating more resources towards driver retention and driver education. We spent more time training our drivers and using a variety of incentives to retain our fleet. Yes, the overall regulatory environment and an evolving intermodal sector is difficult to manage in the midst of these changes. But we feel that this environment can present many opportunities for drivers to succeed and stay close to home.

If you’re a truck driver and interested in driving for one of the leading intermodal trucking firms in the Midwest, please contact us. We’d be happy to learn more about you and see if you’re ready to go trucking with us.

News: Trucking Companies Add Jobs, Fuel Costs Drop Lower

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Mid-March 2013 and there are some positive signs on our radar for the intermodal trucking services industry.  

The US Labor Department announced this week that 5,600 for-hire trucking jobs were added in February in the trucking industry. That’s a positive sign for both truckers and the companies hiring them. The Associated Press wrote: “Stronger hiring shows businesses are confident about the economy, despite higher taxes and government spending cuts.”  

And that’s despite recent troubles in ports among dockworkers and others involved in helping to move cargo around the country. Check the Calhoun Truck Lines blog for recent posts on that topic. It’s one we hope to keep a close eye on there.   midwest intermodal trucking calhoun truck lines

And in equally good news, the cost of diesel fuel has also declined for the first time in nearly two months. The price of diesel fuel fell nearly three cents to $4.13 a gallon. This was the first diesel fuel decline in seven weeks, according to the Department of Energy. Previously, diesel fuel had gained 26.5 cents in six previous increases, including a 23.2-cent jump last month to its highest February level on record, coming in at almost $4.16/gallon.  

At Calhoun Truck Lines, we are encouraged by these positive economic changes. With more drivers leading intermodal cargo around the country, our stores and businesses can keep stocked up on goods necessary for their own business growth. We are proud of these drivers and their ability to move freight safely and swiftly across the country.  

Calhoun Truck Lines’ operational facilities at our five Midwest trucking facilities are fully equipped to handle your intermodal trucking needs, for whatever freight assignments you might have. We deliver a level of service that consistently meets our customers’ expectations by providing a professional working environment for our employees, and maintaining a safe truck fleet.

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