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Drivers are infrastructure, too

Nov. 3, 2020
The 117th Congress would do well to remember driver considerations when they look to pass any new infrastructure bills once they begin to lay the groundwork for the nation's post-COVID comeback.

Infrastructure has been front and center leading up to the 2020 U.S. presidential election, (and we covered that in-depth here) though funding for new bridges, roads, and railways are only a few of the building blocks the transportation sector needs from the government to thrive in the next decade and beyond. In the near term, the trucking industry also needs immediate legislative assistance to help get more drivers through training and begin laying the clear groundwork for how trucks will be operate as emissions regulations tighten and new technology is made available. 

Because of the pandemic, the lack of drivers is the most pressing concern. It’s a two-fold problem as shuttered training schools and DMVs hurt the supply of drivers able to receive their commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs), while recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to create excess freight demand.

“We're going to be down probably around 35% new CDL holders compared to last year,” said Don Lefeve, president and CEO of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association (CVTA). “And the recent capacity crunch is likely to extend well into 2021.”

According to DAT Freight & Analytics, there were 17% fewer spot trucks posts this past October compared to 2019, while spot load posts were up 122%. Van spot rates increased 33%, flatbed 13%, and reefer 22%. To be fair, last October the industry was inching toward a natural economic waning and probable recession, while the recent 33% gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the third quarter of 2020 showed the U.S. economy is likely in the midst of a V-shaped recovery. President Donald Trump has called it a “super V.”

However the recovery is referenced, it spells trouble for shorthanded fleets depleted by the pandemic.

In June during The Truckload Carriers Association’s (TCA) Virtual Safety & Security Meeting Trucking Executive Panel, Dennis Dellinger, TCA chairman and president & CEO of Cargo Transporters, expressed concern over the demand caused by a V-shaped recovery due to lack of new drivers. His fleet canceled driver orientation for nearly three months in the spring due to the coronavirus.

“If we roared back at 100%, we would not be able to service those customers we have,” he said at the time. “There will be drivers, but it's having the right drivers in your equipment."

Now his concerns are being realized as are the full ramifications of the shutdowns. At one point, 27 state driver’s license agencies were closed, with the other 23 limited. The CVTA estimated in April that interrupted up to 40,000 potential new drivers from hitting the road.

Those have been reopened, but Lefeve said the major bottleneck now is trainees obtaining their commercial learner’s permit (CLP) so they can drive on roadways (under the supervision of a CDL holder). Currently he said there is a 60- to 90-day wait to take the CLP test.

This is because states operate differently and do not all allow for third-party testing. Of those, not all allow private organizations, such as trucking schools, to administer the tests.

Lefeve called it a “flawed policy.” It allows for Florida to have more than 200 potential testing sites and California to have under two dozen (as of 2019). Lefeve said the delays before COVID-19 amounted to a $1.5 billion economic loss in the country.

“I think it's important to think of drivers as infrastructure,” Lefeve said.

And as with surface infrastructure, lawmakers could provide some help in a new sweeping infrastructure bill or more narrowly focused highway/trucking bill. The failed $1.5 trillion House Democrat-sponsored Moving Forward Act had included a third-party testing provision that would limit CDL implementation grant money to $250,000 for states that do not allow private third-party testing.

The CVTA also supports the entry-level training standards handed down by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, though the delay to Feb. 7, 2022 was disappointing. The new rule calls for a standardized curriculum and on-road instruction prior to a new driver receiving a CDL.

Aside from getting drivers through training quicker, if Congress were able to pass a jobs-related bill, that could provide a stronger driver pipeline for the future and ensure the nation is not lacking drivers, and therefore not fulfilling its economic potential.

Lefeve pointed to the success of the Department of Labor’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which helps unemployed and underemployed workers find a new career by providing educational grants, such as to attend a truck driver training school.

There is also a pilot program through the FMCSA examining if 18- to 20 year-olds could feasibly be allowed to drive commercial vehicles across state lines. The current age requirement for interstate commercial drivers is 21. It’s based off the bipartisan DRIVE-Safe Act and the comment period ends in November.

A similar pilot was launched in 2018 for adults under 21 with military experience to drive commercial vehicles between states.

Timing is critical. Many carriers only hire drivers with at least one to two years of experience, (though Lefeve sees some companies softening on that and hiring drivers out of school). This means the majority of companies may feel the driver backlogs of today in 2022. Assuming a real infrastructure bill goes through and high volumes of materials need to be hauled all over to “Build Back Better” or “Keep America Great”—depending on who wins the election—the driver shortage could seriously impact timelines.

The good news for current drivers is that the pay will be better.

“Now that freight is coming back, you're seeing huge capacity spikes, which is translated into higher pay,” Lefeve said. “And you're going to continue to see higher pay.”

About the Author

John Hitch | Editor

John Hitch, based out of Cleveland, Ohio, is the editor of Fleet Maintenance, a B2B magazine that addresses the service needs for all commercial vehicle makes and models (Classes 1-8), ranging from shop management strategies to the latest tools to enhance uptime.

He previously wrote about equipment and fleet operations and management for FleetOwner, and prior to that, manufacturing and advanced technology for IndustryWeek and New Equipment Digest. He is an award-winning journalist and former sonar technician aboard a nuclear-powered submarine.

For tips, questions or comments, email [email protected].

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