CCJ

February 2015

Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal

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in many ways, they remain the public face of the industry at large. Moreover, these are the very people I was referring to in my conversation with my friend: People who love the industry so much that they literally pay to be part of it when they buy their own rigs and go into business for themselves. According to CCJ sister publication Overdrive, the owner-operator market in the United States bottomed out in 2010, a year after the 2008 recession ended, but has been clawing its way back ever since. According to a Commercial Motor Vehicle Consulting study commis- I recently was talking to a friend who runs a truck fleet out of Wisconsin. Like many of you, he's had a hard time finding drivers during this eco- nomic upswing, despite the fact that his fleet pays well, invests in high-end equipment and technol- ogy and has an attractive benefits package. As we discussed the driver short- age, I said, "You know, I think there's just a special kind of person out there that is attracted to long- haul trucking, and there just aren't that many of those people out there to draw from." "When you look at it like that," my friend replied, "I think you sum up the whole driver shortage prob- lem in a nutshell." In many ways, our industry is caught in something of a perfect storm. The economy is bouncing back; freight rates, capacity and demand remind us of this on a weekly basis. But as the economy gains steam and adds jobs, the pool of possible truck driving candidates continues to shrink. If you thought it was tough finding drivers in 2014, just wait. What should the industry do? How about getting more owner- operators into the game? Owner-operators never have gone away, of course. They're still out there, turning and burning, and 22 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | FEBRUARY 2015 PRODUCT REVIEWS, OEM & SUPPLIER NEWS AND EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT TRENDS BY JACK ROBERTS Owner-operators could help relieve driver shortage Calling all independents INDUSTRY SOLUTION: Fleets should get more owner- operators into the game. EFFORTS APPLAUDED: Many fleets offer lease-to-own owner-operator packages. HELP COMPETING: Truck- ing entrepreneurs should be granted incentives. Owner-operators are still out there, turning and burning, and in many ways, they remain the public face of the industry at large.

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