COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The truck driver shortage in America has damaging effects on our supply chain. If nothing changes in the industry by 2028, the shortage could reach up to 160,000 drivers.
Darryl McQueen, Director for the RELLIS Commercial Truck Driving Academy, said he has 41 years of experience in the industry and witnesses how much businesses rely on drivers for their services.
Due to increasing customer demand, businesses rely heavily on drivers to transport their supplies, McQueen said. According to an American Truckers Associations study, the trucking industry is expected to increase by 25% by 2028 due to increased demand.
“It’s a huge piece of the puzzle when you talk about how all of our national goods and services move; 71% of that is on the nation’s highways,” McQueen said.
The director said that a considerable part of the problem is the lack of proper training facilities for future truckers. As a result, McQueen started training truckers at the RELLIS Campus for Texas A&M.
“They wanna be outside, they wanna work with their hands, so the campus is offering that skillset,” McQueen said.
They are trying to pass along these skills to students that want to explore new career paths. The more students that get involved, the more stable our supply chain will become in the future.
If you are interested in the industry, the RELLIS Campus and Workforce Solutions are hosting a trucking career fair on November 13. The event will take place at the RELLIS Campus from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information, contact Workforce Solutions at 979-595-2800.