There is no doubt one of the biggest impediments to growth in the container transport industry is the lack of skilled drivers. Recent COVID impacts have only made the situation worse with many transport companies struggling to meet customer demand.
There is nothing more frustrating for a transport operator than to have trucks sitting idle, parked up because they simply can’t man their trucks with drivers.
The container transport industry is a 24/7 industry so in a perfect world, trucking companies would have their trucks working around the clock. The work is there but the drivers are not.
So, what can the industry do to solve this problem?
Many companies are paying rates well above award wages and yet this is not enough to attract more drivers to the industry. It’s not uncommon these days to see drivers in the container transport industry earning over $100K a year. Companies are also investing in training, upskilling drivers, and even recruiting from people outside the industry or from other countries as they desperately try to find drivers.
It’s a problem that will not be fixed anytime soon however the industry needs to invest in education and marketing to attract the next generation of drivers the industry desperately needs.
Remember, it’s professional drivers that keeps the economy moving.
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