GDA Helps Meet Driver Demand: A Fox News Story
Trucking Industry Recovering One Truck at a Time
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a backlog of the supply chain in the United States to one of the worst positions it’s been. To help combat this supply chain issue, the American Trucking Association predicts the industry will need to hire at least 60,000 truck drivers to meet the demand nationwide. Fox News visited GDA’s Conyers Campus this past week to discuss the need for Class A CDL drivers and the training we provide.
Almost Everything Travels on a Truck
At some point in the supply chain process, everything we buy, consume, and need travels on a truck to get to us. Brad Barber, President of Georgia Driving Academy, said: “over 70 percent of all goods shipped in the country are carried by truck.” Richard Sneden, a truck driver for SAIA, was also interviewed in the article. He added, “At some point in time, everything in this country has to go on a truck – the clothes you wear, the food you eat, the gas you put in your car.”
The Growing Driver Demand
The trucking industry is trying to meet the demand, but the gap continues to increase. Even though people are applying for driving positions, they must first go through training to get their CDL. GDA helps train many students every year to meet the demand and even has two locations in Georgia for students to train at. Barber mentioned that COVID forced many schools around the country to limit class sizes. Ultimately, there were around 50,000 fewer drivers trained in total.
How the Shortage Affects Deliveries
Due to the shortage, many freight loads are sitting, waiting for drivers to come and deliver them. Companies have started turning loads down because they do not have enough drivers to deliver all of them. At the height of the pandemic, online shopping increased heavily. The trucking industry did not have enough drivers to meet demands as a result.
Incentives to Meet Demand
Many trucking companies are using incentives and bonuses to try and get new drivers. Some examples are sign-on bonuses, higher pay scales, and new benefits packages. By offering incentives, companies are hoping to attract more drivers to the industry. If you are interested in becoming a professional truck driver, there has never been a better time!
Hands-On CDL Training
To meet the high demand of drivers needed, truck drivers must first get their CDL from a training school. At Georgia Driving Academy, we have been training drivers to enter the industry since 1995. Our two campus locations provide Class A CDL training that consists of classroom and hands-on training.
