Every industry is only as good as the people in it. Industries and markets need people who bring new, fresh, innovative ideas and people who can execute those ideas at the highest level.
The trucking industry is full of good people—engineers, salespeople, drivers, technicians, etc. And those of us in the industry know how vitally important it is. Unfortunately, we have not done a good enough job sharing our stories about the opportunities in trucking with the general public. As a result, we seem to have a hard time attracting people to our industry.
In the Run on Less–Electric finale video, Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, said he thought the benefits of electric vehicles would help attract the best talent to trucking. Other industry executives agree and also commented on the side benefit of moving to electric trucks in that same video. They talk about how much fun it is to be on college campuses these days talking to students about the future of trucking and their role in it.
Issues like environmental justice, improved air quality, diversity and inclusion resonate with the younger generations—the very groups that we will be trying to recruit into various positions across our industry.
We can leverage the fact that electric trucks address each of these issues and align with the goals of many people who we want to work in our industry. Add to that the fact that electric trucks are a new technology solution and we have quite a story to tell.
I have always thought trucking was an amazing industry to work in—I made my career here. But I can see that for folks on the outside looking in it might seem old school and staid. Now with electric trucks and a host of other very cool technologies, we have a great story to tell—how cool technology can be deployed to help fix some of the social issues that concern members of the younger generation. Truth be told, even some of us older folks are excited to see how electric vehicles will transform trucking as well as have a positive impact on the world around us.
Electric vehicles give us a unique opportunity to bring all kinds of people into trucking. Let’s make sure we make the best of it.
Michael Roeth has worked in the commercial vehicle industry for nearly 30 years, most recently as executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency. He currently serves on the second National Academy of Sciences Committee on Technologies and Approaches for Reducing the Fuel Consumption of Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles and has held various positions in engineering, quality, sales and plant management with Navistar and Behr/Cummins.
