WINNIPEG — We may be facing a serious shortage of truck drivers in the next decade.
Thousands of truckers are creeping up to retirement age and there are not nearly as many young drivers coming up to fill the gap.
The Manitoba Trucking Association’s Terry Shaw tells CJOB 680 the industry has to promote itself better.
“We need to do a better job of informing people about what it means to be a truck driver. You’re always going to be employed. I don’t know that any job is recession proof, but trucking is certainly recession resistant,” says Shaw.
Shaw adds it is hard to be away from home for long-haul truckers, but it’s not as hard as it used to be. “Technology in the cab now is helping keep people connected to home to the office a bit more easily, a bit more personally. It’s not phone calls anymore it’s FaceTime and Skype.”
Shaw notes that a lot of companies are also adjusting their schedules and routes to make it easier on families.