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According to Fox 28, too much freight and not enough drivers. Experts say there’s a shortage of truckers nationwide, and a regional company is now hiring in an effort to bridge that gap.
Holland Regional Trucking is hosting a job fair this week. They’re getting the word out to get people trained and ready to go. Officials say the industry is short tens of thousands of drivers and it’s getting worse each year.
David Lechleitner drives a truck all around the Ohio Valley. These days, he’s moving more freight and working 70 hours any given week. “I’m running several different places that we before hadn’t run,” Lechleitner said.
A new report out Tuesday says there’s a shortage of 48,000 truck drivers in the U.S.
Finding qualified applicants, officials say, is also a challenge. To deal with the shortfall, Holland Regional Trucking is hosting the job fair. They’re looking for at least 20 local and regional drivers.
“There’s a lot of applicants that we get right now that are over the road that are out two, three, four weeks at a time and a lot of them want to come back now and work local cartage,” Terminal Manager Scott Shaffer said.
Darlynn Beuhler has 15 years of experience behind the wheel and is applying for a position. “It really is the backbone of the economy. If there isn’t a trucker moving some type of freight, the consumer can’t get their needs met,” Beuhler said.
The Buckeye State is in the top five when it comes to the amount of freight moved across the country, according to officials with the Ohio Trucking Association. Experts say the industry is trying to become more flexible and giving drivers more time at home.
If you’re interested in being a driver for Holland, starting pay would be between $55,000 to $60,000. The job fair runs from 1:00pm to 8:00pm Wednesday. The address is 4800 Journal Street, Columbus,
