There are more than 1.8 million truck drivers in the US, yet all things considered, it’s insufficient. On Tuesday, the National Tank Truck Carriers raised the alert, cautioning that if more individuals don’t begin driving trucks soon, the country may encounter fuel deficiencies and cost increments.
In a more typical year, maybe 10% of the nation’s fuel tankers may be inactive, yet NTTC says that number is between 20–25 percent in 2021. “We’ve been dealing with a driver shortage for a while, but the pandemic took that issue and metastasized it,” Ryan Streblow, NTTC’s chief VP, told CNN.
Driving a tanker full of fuel requires more training than hauling bulk cargo in a class 8 truck, however the pandemic sidelined drivers as fuel demand dropped, making a lot more drivers leave the business. Furthermore, the schools that could prepare new drivers were clearly shut for public health reasons, intensifying the labor shortage.
Worry about the driver lack is part of the way filling the push toward autonomous trucks, yet the technology isn’t prepared to help facilitate the weight yet. Without robotrucks, anticipate that wages should ascend to fill empty seats. That is uplifting news for potential tanker drivers, yet it might mean gas costs will increment as a result.