Truckers News

August 2010

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TRUCKING OPPORTUNITIES TRUCKERSNEWSDRIVERJOBS.COM WEBINAR SPEAKERS: DRIVER SHORTAGE COULD PERSIST continued from page 14 American Central Transport, gave their views at the webinar presented by Overdrive and Truckers News. Perry said even though the driv- er shortage could average 200,000 drivers annually over the next cou- ple years, carriers are unwilling to gamble on ramping up hiring signif- icantly “until they see a strong, con- sistent, long record of earnings.” He said many carriers laid off recruiters, trainers and dispatchers and aren’t about to rehire them right away. Economic conditions have creat- ed a driver shortage that will match the shortfall in 2004, Perry said. Ex- perienced drivers are in short sup- ply because many dropped out of the business or retired during the recession. Perry pointed out that new feder- al regulatory initiatives, notably cit- izenship identification, the ongoing hours-of-service revision and Com- prehensive Safety Analysis 2010 will reduce the supply of needed drivers. In the past, small fleets provid- ed fill-in capacity during econom- ic rebounds, but Perry said they may not be as available this time or their entry into the market may be delayed. Kretsinger said the recent reces- sion marked the first time carriers rapidly downsized their fleets. That resulted in measures such as driv- er surpluses, reduced pay and the weeding out of the worst drivers. New & Improved EVENTS August 13-15, Great Salt Lake Kidney Kamp Truck Show at Thanksgiving Point. Take Lehi Exit 284 from I-15 30 min- utes South of Salt Lake City. General & ven- dor info: Jeff England (800) 877-1320. Judging & Classes: Doyle Elison (208) 251-0987. Aug. 26-28, Great American Trucking Show, Dallas Convention Center. (888) 349-4287, www.gatsonline.com. If you have a trucking event you would like to publicize, send informa- tion six weeks in advance to Truckers News Events Calendar, P.O. Box 3187, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403, or e-mail tnedi- tors@rrpub.com. Truckers News makes no guarantee that information sub- mitted will be published. Lease Purchase Program $500 Fuel Credit 30 Day Bumper to Bumper Warranty He said driver rules and regulations such as CSA 2010, tougher medical exams, sleep apnea problems, elec- tronic onboard recorders and hours requirements, plus attacks on inde- pendent contractor status, will make it tougher to rebuild driver ranks. Kretsinger said owner-operators are facing difficult times on many fronts, including high maintenance costs, stagnant pay rates and gov- ernment attacks on the independent contractor status. “[The federal gov- ernment] has already increased the budget of the IRS to start auditing and challenging people, and that’s a frightening thing on the owner-op- erator side,” he said. For over 40 years, National Carriers has laid the groundwork for steady growth and success. The Elite fleet is protected from a sometimes fragile industry by steady freight and satisfied customers. GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEASE PURCHASE DRIVERS, OWNER OPERATORS & COMPANY DRIVERS SHARE OUR STRENGTH, CALL 888-777-0633 OR CLICK WWW.NATIONALCARRIERS.COM ® ® Visit www.truckersnews.hotims.com and enter 371 AUGUST 2010 TRUCKERS NEWS 77

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