![]() ![]() "If you have a business where of your workforce turned over every year, how efficient or good a business would it be? Yet it's commonplace in trucking, because they can't keep workers. "We've listened to this driver shortage nonsense since the 1980s," said Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), which represents roughly 150,000 members who own and/or operate more than 240,000 individual heavy-duty trucks and small truck fleets. The ATA also cited the low number of women drivers, only 7% drivers failing drug tests, especially in states where recreational marijuana is legal federal laws requiring interstate drivers to be at least 21 and applicants for a commercial driver's license (CDL) declined for poor driving records or criminal backgrounds. There are job alternatives that have them home every night, like delivering packages for e-commerce. "Some people do get into the industry and realize that the lifestyle is not for them," Costello added, "but I don't know what percentage that is. "Part of the shortage is drivers leaving the industry because they are retiring," he said in an email, noting that the average age of drivers is mid to late 40s. Conversely, among major less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers, including Yellow, UPS and XPO Logistics, whose trailers carry multiple items for numerous customers, the turnover rate was less than 12%.Īddressing the driver shortage, ATA chief economist Bob Costello pointed to several contributing factors. Hunt Transport Services, Swift Transportation and Werner Enterprises, which haul a single commodity that fills an entire trailer, annual turnover rates averaged 94% between 19, according to a BLS report. "These recent investments will help us continue to hire aggressively to meet increased demand from customers." Last year, Walmart brought on nearly 4,500 new drivers, the most in company history, Cortes said, and "we aim to hire over 5,000 this year, which includes training between 400 to 800 new drivers through our Private Fleet Development program." Median pay for big-rig drivers under $50,000Īt the large truckload carriers, such as J.B. "Our goal with raising pay was to ensure Walmart remains one of the best driving jobs in the industry," said Fernando Cortes, senior vice president of transportation, in an email. Walmart 's more than 12,000 drivers fall into the former category, beneficiaries of the company's nearly 21% salary bump. ![]() "There are some excellent jobs and some terrible jobs." "Trucking is a story of bifurcation," said Steve Viscelli, an economic sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, who has researched the industry for more than 15 years. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) - you discover that not everything is running smoothly. But when you look under the hood of this time-honored profession - which in 2020 employed more than 1.95 million heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, according to the U.S. towing capacity using a rear differential that holds between 3.3 and 3.5 quarts of fluid.At first glance, this might look like the perfect time to get behind the wheel of a big rig. using a rear differential that held 3.75 quarts of gear lube. Back in 1996, maximum towing capacity was 10,500 lbs. Meanwhile, differential fluid capacities have largely decreased or remained the same.įor example, compare a 1996 Ford F-250 Crew Cab to the 2021 version. The truck manufacturer’s ongoing arms race for the highest towing capacity has resulted in trucks that place more stress on differentials than their predecessors. Why the varying fluid-change intervals? Because severe operating conditions break down differential fluid more quickly and place greater stress on the gears and bearings, inviting wear. The only way to know the exact mileage interval is to check your owner’s manual or visit the dealership. If you drive your truck primarily on the highway in temperate conditions and rarely tow or haul, you likely don’t need to change front or rear differential fluid very often.īut, if you tow a trailer or haul supplies frequently and the temperature fluctuates as wildly as your health insurance premium, then you need to change differential fluid more often. How often you should change front and rear differential fluid depends on your vehicle, driving conditions and differential fluid quality. ![]()
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