The Decline of Truck Driver Numbers Should Have Us Worried…

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Its has been reported that there is a high shortage of truck drivers in the USA and across the continent of North America. This shortage has led to a significant increase in the cost of shipping freight as the truck companies being weighed down by this challenge find it difficult to recruit new staff members.

Trucking companies have been trying to bridge this gap between the demand of truck drivers and their availability and the resultant effect is that they end up hiring truck drivers that do not have enough experience. While that may sound like a solution, it is a risky one. According to Greg Baumgartner, who is a Houston Truck Accident Lawyer, it is a solution that puts the safety of the public at risk.

Why is there a Shortage?

While it may be difficult to pinpoint a particular reason for this shortage, there are an array of reasons this could happen. One of the major reasons one could point out is the salary paid to the truck drivers. Believe it or not, salary is always one of the major factors people consider before applying for a particular line of job and that which is paid to truck drivers is considered to be quite low when put in comparison with other professions. This is to add to the fact that they sacrifice their families and social lives for their jobs.

To deal with this particular issue, a slight increase was made to their salary. However, this increase may be effective in keeping the old drivers, but it is not enough to get new people sign up for the profession. With this low salary, bonuses would seem like another effective way to get drivers interested in this area.

A new bill has been passed to bring down the official acceptance age of interstate truck drivers; you might have heard about this. A lot of people are of the opinion that it is a short-sighted measure, one that doesn’t deal with the issue from its root. It is in fact considered a compromise to safety.

The Importance of Experience in Trucking

Majority agreed that the higher the age of truck drivers, the higher the level of safety. The result is that there is less accidents involving truck drivers along our roads. This safety wouldn’t be restricted to trucks alone but to other transport networks. There is definitely an established link between young drivers who are inexperienced and more number of road accidents.

With the increased number of dangerous 18-wheeler lorries that ply the roads of Texas, lowering the legal age of truck drivers would definitely increase the number of drivers available for work, but what about the negative effects and danger it poses to our highways?

For more information, check out https://www.texas-truckaccidentlawyer.com/blog/why-reducing-the-age-of-cdl-drivers-is-a-bad-idea/.

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