A story in the Wall Street journal states that the trucking industry is having difficulty finding and keeping young truck drivers employed. With a shortage that is expected to hit 240,000 drivers by the year 2022, there is a significant dearth in young driving talent. The American Trucking Associations report a current shortfall of between 35,000 and 40,000 truck drivers nationwide, an underage that means that many trucking companies are unable to achieve the growth they want because of a simple shortage in manpower. So why is it important for young drivers to come into the fold? The trucking talent…
Category: Blog
Werner Enterprises net income up 61 percent for first quarter
The Omaha, Nebraska-based Werner Enterprises, Inc., a transportation and logistics company, reported a first-quarter net income of $23.14 million, which represents a 61 percent increase over the $14.34 million net income earned over the same time period in 2014. With total revenues of $495.65 million, a 1 percent increase over the $492 million reported in Q1 for the previous year. A consistent strength in freight demand in Q1 of 2015 resulted in one of the better first quarter freight markets of the past several years, the company said, and the continuing strengthening economy combined with constrained truck capacity is also…
Fleets not turning to Natural Gas-powered trucks
An article posted on the trucking industry news site truckingnewsonline.com discusses the apparent reluctance of fleet owners and to turn to trucks fueled by natural gas. The site reports that while truck drivers and fleets are ordering new equipment 鈥渓ike there鈥檚 no tomorrow,鈥� they haven鈥檛 yet begun purchasing these trucks, which are supposed to be more environmentally friendly than standard diesel-powered trucks. A report released from ACT Research titled 鈥淣atural Gas Quarterly鈥� attributes the rapidly declining diesel fuel costs with lowering the return-on-investment of natural-gas powered trucks, which obviously makes them less attractive to trucking industry officials who make purchasing…
One Test or Two?
A large, 3-part story at the trucking industry news site truckinginfo.com discusses the history, present and future of emissions testing, and the fuel-efficiency/greenhouse gas regulations, which is in the middle of a tougher, more stringent set of regulations coming into effect. The plan is currently in Phase 2, which tightens restrictions further, after Phase 1 saw engines and vehicles tested separately. However, the story notes that some in the industry say that just one test, with engines rolled into the truck like 鈥渁ny other component,鈥� is preferable to having 2. Engines are currently tested on a dynamometer, and some, including…
Driver Dilemma: in Search of Owner-Operators
An insightful article posted at truckinginfo.com highlights the modern trucking owner-operator. Owner-Operators are truck drivers who own their own trucks, and operate them on their own. This is as opposed to a trucking company owner who does not drive his or her own trucks, but hires other drivers to operate them. The article starts off by noting that the recent recession caused many owner-operators to park or sell their trucks because of a lack of work, but notes that as the economy continues to rebound, these entrepreneurs have as well, and trucking fleets have also taken notice and are making…