What is the Future Outlook for Trucking Jobs?

The outlook for trucking jobs is one of positive and continued growth. Trucking is usually one of the first industries to emerge from a recession, and especially with the rise of E-commerce, more and more firms are using trucking services to get their goods across town – and across the world.

Truck driver jobs are constantly being created by small local owner-operators as well as by major trucking companies and container trucking providers, as there is a constant shortage of truckers due to high demand. Salaries for truckers are consistently rising, and trucking has always provided a respectable and steady income especially for experienced truckers who are willing to handle long haul jobs.

With more and more people using online commerce for even large purchases, trucking companies have seen a surge in business, as trucks are used to ship merchandise ordered online either directly or to a distribution and fulfillment center from which they are shipped directly to consumers. Some of the largest online stores now offer trucking jobs either themselves or via their dedicated trucking company or truck leasing company, which may either be in-house or outsourced. These truck driver jobs offer competitive starting salaries and benefits, and their stability is backed by the promise of constant growth of the online commerce sector.

New truck drivers will be necessary to replace drivers who will be forced to retire under the upcoming tougher safety standards that will force dismissal of drivers who do not have satisfactory driving records. Therefore, success as a trucker will depend more and more on safety. In addition, cutbacks on the number of hours any trucker can drive will open up opportunities for new truck driver jobs.

The present shortage of truck drivers has become so acute that some trucking companies are offering bonuses to new drivers who sign up. Higher salaries are another incentive which is being offered to laid-off workers from other industries who are willing to obtain truck licenses and train to become long-haul as well as local truck drivers.

By 2012, it is predicted that there may be a shortage of up to 400,000 truck drivers. Trucking is vital not only for consumer deliveries but even more so for deliveries to retailers and industrial plants. If a truck is not available to deliver ordered merchandise or parts on time, stores can lose sales and plants can experience costly downtime or even temporary closure. Regardless of the cost of fuel and the negative environmental impact of many trucks, there is no replacement for truck delivery to many crucial locations throughout the USA. Even if railroad delivery is used, a truck is necessary in many cases to transport the rail cargo to its final destination, and a truck is not subject to railroad schedules. Therefore, there will probably never be a substitute for trucking, and that means trucking job opportunities will continually be created.

Even though the economic recovery is just beginning and there are some smaller trucking firms which are in danger of closing, the trucker shortage will only grow as the economy emerges from recession within the next two or three years. In addition, the rise of E-commerce means that more and more goods will be transported from central locations, and this includes both bulk merchandise that is trucked to a bulk mailing center as well as larger merchandise that needs to be delivered by truck to its final destination.

Clearly, the main obstacle to growth in the trucking industry is a shortage of personnel. For workers who are willing to train for the challenges of trucking jobs, this presents a great opportunity.