In testimony before Congress Tuesday, American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear said Congress must do more to help the trucking industry develop and retain its workforce.
Speaking at the Committee on Education and the Workforce’s “Unleashing America’s Opportunities for Hiring and Employment” hearing, Spear said Congressional action is needed to help the industry meet the country’s freight demands over the next decade.
“Over the next decade, trucks will be tasked with moving 2.4 billion more tons of freight than they do today. For that to happen, we must continue to put safety and our workforce first. Today, the trucking industry invests more than $10 billion annually in safety and employee development,” Spear told the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Spear said the industry lacks about 78,000 drivers and 41,000 technicians. Citing rising pay rates, industry outreach to women and minorities, and “capitalizing on Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act” funding is helping the industry, but more action is needed. Spear cited legislation that allows 18- to 20-year-old truckers to cross state lines, and technology would help develop the workforce. Spear also said that the attack on the industry’s employment model.
“We need to end the unfounded assault on the nine-decade-old independent contractor model, jeopardizing not only the jobs and lives of 350,000 truck drivers throughout the country but the millions of other American workers who willingly chose this professional path,” Spear said.
Spear also recommended Congress untangle “federal and state regulations, from credentialing and certifications to combating opioid abuse and state legalization of recreational marijuana,” as well as passing legislation that would define trucking as a job that is “essential, skilled and in-demand.”
“We need to double down on workforce development,” he said. “It is what gives every employee job security and growth opportunities.”