Month: <span>February 2018</span>

Over the past years, shippers have found it increasingly more difficult to secure the trucks they need to move their freight across the country. In fact, industry analysis shows that at the beginning of 2018, only one truck was free for every 12 shipments that needed to be moved. This is a sharp and frustrating decline in availability from just over a year ago, when the ratio was one in four. With e-commerce at an all time high in a continually strengthened economy, there are many challenges faced by both shippers and carriers. One of the biggest struggles facing the transportation world right now is the lack of truck drivers.

Driving a truck is a tough job, and with the average age of drivers at 55 years old, it is an aging profession with many workers approaching retirement. As these drivers retire, the industry is not seeing an influx of new drivers, at least not at a pace sufficient enough to offset the number of workers lost to retirement. This means less trucks on the road and more headaches for shippers. Low wages, long hours, and a life away from home are all deterrents for many people that may consider this career. How can an industry thrive if its backbone – the labor force – is  diminishing at such a rapid rate? There are several changes that can be made across the industry to fix this.

Many companies are realizing that increased wages can help alleviate their capacity challenges. National carriers are increasing the rate-per-mile paid for long haul drivers, and local companies are raising their hourly pay to entice newcomers to the profession. Higher pay is always a welcome change, and executives know that a well-compensated workforce is a happier and more productive workforce. If we continue to see wages that are competitive with other industries, we may see the lack of drivers turn itself around into a surplus.

One way to start working towards this surplus may be to focus on millennials. Currently, you must be 21 to secure a class A CDL, but that doesn’t mean the training can’t start earlier. Carriers have numerous jobs in dispatch, customer service, and safety that could be appealing to a younger employee who eventually wants to get behind the wheel. This can also prepare them for the challenges and opportunities presented by life on the road. Studies have shown that millennials have deviated from previous generations when it comes to priorities in life. They value experience over material possessions and many are choosing travel over settling down and buying a home. Driving provides an opportunity to travel while earning income that could potentially be used later in life for a home.

Carriers should be focusing their efforts on recruiting adventurous millennials who want to see the country and make money while doing it. The current aging drivers are retiring soon, and it would be very difficult to groom new truck drivers from the boomer generation or Generation X. Millennials have shown that they are willing to work, but they want jobs that are satisfying and exciting. Driving a truck is the perfect fit. To learn more about our services handled by our amazing truckers, get started with Zip Xpress today!

Driving a truck across the country is not an easy task. Days can be long, routes can be difficult, and weather conditions can be grueling. It is, however, an extremely rewarding and inspiring experience for those bold individuals who take up the profession. There are new places to visit, people to meet, and obstacles to conquer. For a person looking for independence, excitement, and fulfillment, driving a truck can be the perfect career.

Traveling to every state at least once is a lifelong goal for many Americans, but this ambition often goes unfulfilled. Work, time and financial constraints alone can make it an unrealistic objective for many. But this is not the case for truck drivers. They get paid to drive anywhere that requires delivery of goods; that is to say, all of the continental United States (and sometimes even Alaska)! Some stretches can be long and monotonous, but the unbridled natural beauty that inevitably shows up throughout America makes it all worthwhile.

There are many challenges on and off the road for truck drivers, but they are more than ready to take them on. A driver may get bad or outdated directions from his dispatcher, and in an area with poor signal, be forced to take navigation matters into his own hands. This may sound like a pain to some, but to an experienced truck driver, it is a natural talent and a satisfying victory when the destination is found. Upon arrival, the driver may find himself having to back into a tight dock from a busy street – certainly a daunting task to the uninitiated. A skilled driver, however, sees this as another learning experience with rewarding results.

The adventure of the open road is one of the prime allures of becoming a driver. If scheduled correctly, a trucker can traverse all of the mainland states in just a few months. It’s hard work, but the gratification of finishing a long route can not be overstated, and the benefits of independently traveling the country are tremendous. Some people enjoy the comfort of an office job, but for the venturesome and determined traveler, life behind the wheel is a fruitful life indeed. To learn more about how our hard working drivers can serve you, go to Zip Xpress and get started today!

Imagine finishing a late day of work at the office, logging off your computer, and securing a spot about five feet away from your desk to retire to for the night. The next morning you wake up, grab a cup of coffee, and sit down at your desk to get back to work. Imagine doing this for three weeks at a time before finally heading home. A few days later, it’s back to the office.

For most people, this may seem to be an impossible task to take on, but every morning millions of industrious truck drivers are willing to answer the call. A driver’s cab is his office, the dashboard his desk, and the road his daily task. Drivers can be on the road for up to 11 hours a day, riding through rain, sleet, extreme cold, and snowstorms. These conditions may seem daunting, but drivers have unwavering work ethic and determination. They are the backbone of our nation’s supply chain, and truly deserve to be some of the most appreciated workers in our country.

Drivers, especially those new to the open road, don’t always get paid proportionally to the number of hours they put in. Consider that they sleep in their cab and eat and shower at truck stops. Still, once they wake up with fresh hours, they carry on without complaint and push forward to their destination until they once again are legally required to shut down. Once that freight has been delivered, they eagerly head to the next shipper, ready and willing to travel to wherever that shipment may take them. It requires patience and perseverance to carry out these deliveries, and fortunately those are qualities inherent to truck drivers.

Many of us don’t think about the person driving the truck when we are passing them on the highway, but we should be thankful for them. They are the safest, hardest working, and most professional drivers on the road. They spend weeks away from their families delivering the freight that keeps our families fed and sheltered. While a truck driver’s portable office may be far from traditional, the man or woman inside is one of the key components of our economy. To learn more about how our drivers can service you, contact Zip Xpress today!