
Oregon’s “truck driver shortage” is making things difficult for companies looking to ship their goods, but opening up more, better-paying opportunity for current and new truck drivers.
The Oregon Trucking Association says that the nationwide shortage of truckers is reaching numbers of nearly 50,000, forcing companies to compete for the drivers that are left – because of this, veteran drivers are getting offered higher rates for their services, and truck-drivers-in-training are getting job offers before they even complete their schooling.
“We get calls daily on people needing drivers. Companies I never thought would hire entry-level drivers are now hiring them,” said Amanda Watson, Director of the IITR trucking school in Oregon.
“Everything they [the public] touch, everything they buy, everything they need, and everything they use is on a truck at some point,” said Jana Jarvis, president of the Oregon Trucking Association.
This apparent desperation for drivers has inspired men like James Stanchfield, who used to work for a carpet cleaning company, to begin a new career driving trucks, reported Fox 12 News Oregon.
“I love to drive. I have since I was a little kid. When I get stressed or when I just want to clear my mind, I drive,” said Stanchfield, who says that, once he finishes trucking school, he will be able to snag a job starting at $19 or $20 an hour.