Han Solo

You are correct, I incorrectly stated the case and I appreciate you setting it straight. Just pressure from immigration, NOT illegal immigration. The point still stands, the issue is pay not a shortage of drivers.

JamesBond

You really need to go back and edit that post. And I don't think immigrants are uniformly drawn to trucking any more than any other profession, but even if they are, as long as they are LEGAL, so what? Sorry for your dad, but mine lost his business to Walmart. Adapt or die.

Pay fixes everything I guess. It won't get me to willingly bid an Africa trip, but it will get some pilots to rethink them. Same with holidays. And regardless of your justification, there IS a driver shortage. Just like there is a supposed pilot shortage.

Han Solo

Nah, I have nothing to hide, when I make a mistake I'll own up to it. You're correct on adapt or die, but when you're 70+ there's not a lot of adapting out there. A lot of men who become truck drivers do so because that was the best way to earn money on a limited education. We're not talking a big group of college graduates who can just swap careers and start writing IOS apps or something. He was able to raise a family of 4 on his income when he was younger but now can barely support himself on how little a truck driver now earns.

You sound like management talking about the pilot shortage. There's no shortage of pilots, just a shortage of pilot pay. Exact same thing in the trucking industry. UPS and other big trucking companies are making money hand over fist (hmm, kinda like our management?), they could instantly end the "shortage" by paying a better wage. That or hoping Elon Musk gets his fully automated truck fleet up to speed in a jiffy.

ERflyer

Supposedly. The great pilot shortage. Been hearing that for 30 years. Funny how pilot pay and pilot supply seem to have a positive correlation.

JamesBond

I am extremely sympathetic to your father's plight. Like I said, I Watched a big guy (Walmart) swoop in and kill not only my father's business, but the entire town.

And... I am not arguing that it isn't a pay shortage in the trucking industry. If management were truly feeling pain they would up the pay to create an incentive to enter the industry. I guess it isn't as bad as some people think. I dunno really.

And lastly, your papa doesn't have much to worry about regarding self driving trucks. It ain't happening anytime real soon. My bet is that the liability issues are going to slow it down. The first time one of those monstrosities kills someone, the industry will be sued into oblivion.

JamesNoBrakes

https://www.npr.org/2017/01/07/50860...en-in-8-charts

Nothing surprising here, the trend has been going on since the recession in 2008-9, since that time it's been trending positively. It's not like the world just started 2 years ago.

Han Solo

My mistake, I misinterpreted your previous post if this is your stance. Thing about the trucking industry is it ain't rocket science. My dad didn't even finish high school, I'm sure there are many others with even less education doing the j-o-b, which is of course why that industry was ripe to be undercut by immigrants from South America and Mexico. With proper financial incentives you could have an entire industry of truck drivers ready to go in 6 months or less.

Slaphappy

two years ago we were stagnant.