KIMT News 3's Evan Berg explains why industry leaders say things need to change, before the industry loses too many drivers.
ROCHESTER, Minn.-The Minnesota Department of Transportation is conducting a joint survey with the Department of Public Safety to try and solve a truck driver shortage in the state, the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association says if the state wants to solve the problem it will need more than new drivers.
Lewie Pugh, a board member at OOIDA, says a big problem with growing the industry's workforce is retention and driver safety.
Pugh says nationwide there is a 94 percent turnover rate in trucking from year to year.
The Bureau of Labor statistics says over 240,300 trucking positions are expected to open up a year between 2023 and 2033, in large part due to employee turnover at transportation companies.
"Problem is they come and they don't stay, truckers don't get paid overtime for one. Some companies do, but there is an exemption in the Fair Labor Standards act for truckers," Pugh said.
OOIDA says long haul drivers at big companies are often working on limited time tables each day, with no overtime and are forced to make difficult decisions about stopping where they know their trucks will be safe for the night or risking going over time on the road and risking their own safety or their jobs.
Pugh says in addition drivers with limited training can find themselves risking their own safety in these conditions.
With 400,000 new commercial licenses issued every year by the United States, he says it's important for states and the federal government to push for additional training, infrastructure and actual overtime policies to support the trucking industry to encourage existing drivers to stick around.
"No safe place to sleep, you're probably not trained to do the job the way you should be, so you're uncomfortable in that. You're giving 20-30 hours a week, you're making 14 dollars an hour and you're not at home, when you can go work at McDonalds," Pugh said.
Pugh thinks it is a good idea for the state to be looking into improving the trucking industry, but he says it needs to be done effectively, which is why he says it's important for industry members to make their voices heard when there are issues they think need to be addressed.