The year 2018 may be known for many things, but for trucking, it will stand as one of the hottest years ever for the industry. From January 1st to October 31st, there has been an addition of over 31,9000 new hires at for-hire trucking companies. Compared to 2017’s growth of 4,700 new employees and 2016’s drop of 5,900, 2018 has been a landmark year for the industry. This growth is in line with the 2.5% growth year over year, another fantastic indicator of the speed at which the industry is growing.

Unfortunately, the industry is still feeling the effects of a lack of good trucks drivers. With a shortage of nearly 50,000 drivers, the workforce needs to expand to be able to get ahead of the shortage issue. These new hires are often working for smaller trucking companies rather than larger carriers. Carriers with one to six trucks have seen employment gains of 68.6% while carriers with over 500 trucks have seen only a 20% gain. These gains are a critical reflection on the ability of regional carriers being able to serve the needs easier than larger carriers.

With the larger carriers experiencing slower growth,  their strict qualifications are putting them behind the curve when it comes to hiring. Their higher requirements make it harder for them to hire more substantial amounts of employees as they are continually looking for the best of the best to join their companies. This shortage of “good drivers” has put an additional strain on carriers to focus on retention rates as well, ensuring that their current employee base isn’t eroded through loss of employees.

RigPark is committed to ensuring that all of the truckers on the road, be it regional or nationwide carriers, all have access to predictable and safe parking that can take the daily stress out of their drives.

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