{"id":26595,"date":"2023-09-13T08:37:14","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T15:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/?p=26595"},"modified":"2023-09-13T08:48:06","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T15:48:06","slug":"recommendations-to-ensure-a-steady-supply-of-agricultural-truck-drivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/index.php\/2023\/09\/13\/recommendations-to-ensure-a-steady-supply-of-agricultural-truck-drivers\/","title":{"rendered":"Keeping the Supply Chain Flowing — Recommendations to Ensure a Steady Labor Force of Agricultural Truck Drivers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A new report released by the UC Berkeley Labor Center<\/a> finds that record trucking costs in 2021 were not due to a long-term shortage of truck drivers in California. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report, Ensuring the Supply of Agricultural Truck Drivers: What the State of California Can Do<\/a><\/em><\/strong>,<\/em> found that, while there is not a shortage of people interested in truck driving, the industry faces challenges with retaining drivers, with turnover being especially high for long-haul drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report \u2013 the first in-depth look at the labor market for agricultural truck drivers in California and the first study of this workforce anywhere in the U.S. in almost 30 years \u2013 found that the disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, along with already reduced seasonal driver capacity, were responsible for the rate hikes that were seen in agricultural shipping. Employers were slashing workforces just as the pandemic was hitting and then struggled to rehire drivers and add equipment as the economy restarted, demand surged, and labor markets tightened as part of broader supply chain disruptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Report co-author Steve Viscelli,<\/strong> an economic sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, looked at a wide range of statistical data from state and federal sources and interviewed drivers, shippers, industry associations, and other stakeholders. He said better efforts in recruiting and training drivers would ease turnover and improve job satisfaction, particularly for agricultural trucking, which is critical to California\u2019s economy but can often be seasonal or require specialized equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSafe and experienced truck drivers are the foundation of U.S. supply chains,\u201d said Viscelli. \u201cI hope this research helps to bring their perspective more fully into the conversation about how to better retain experienced drivers and create successful career paths for the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New drivers are likely to attend training school for several weeks and then spend weeks or months out on the road with a trainer. Drivers are often required to sign a training contract that indebts them to the employer unless they stay with the employer for a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur training system is organized backward,\u201d Viscelli said. \u201cDrivers should be trained locally and employed locally at the start of their careers. Difficult, dangerous long-haul work should then be the well-paid choice of safe and experienced drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Report recommendations include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n