BC Trucking Association looking at recruitment and retention strategies to combat driver shortages

“Like every other industry, we’re facing a lot of people retiring out of the industry. We’re also dealing with a real perception issue in terms of what trucking is,” he says. “When I say that, a lot of people think of a long-haul person being away from home for days and nights at a time. That’s not accurate. There’s a lot of opportunities that get people home every night, and provide a really good, stable income.”

However, with many logging truck drivers looking for work during forest industry struggles, Earle says the potential is there for gaps to be filled in other trucking sectors.

“How many, and how much that translates to, we really don’t know. But that continuing pressure… I mean when you look at the projections, if we keep going the way we’re going at the rate we’re going, we’re going to be at 8,000 vacancies by late 2021-22.”

Along with safety improvements in driver training, employee recruitment and retention will be a key priority for the BC Trucking Association moving forward.

“And that’s part of the work we’re doing with our partners in the private sector, federal government and provincial government, is funding positions and getting people to come in, and getting them to experience and try the industry.”

Earle says employment numbers need to stay up so the industry can continue to operate.

“To put it in perspective, look around you right now. I would challenge you to find anything that you see that didn’t come on the back of a truck for at least part of its journey,” Earle explains. “Literally everything we see, everything we consume comes on the back of a truck. If that part of our supply network isn’t able to meet our demand, it hurts us, it hurts our economy, and it hurts our ability to function as a society.”

by Dylana Kneeshaw

BC Trucking Association looking at recruitment and retention strategies to combat driver shortages

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