Truckers' industry influence continues to grow

The trucker shortage now seen across the U.S. has grabbed plenty of headlines in the past year or so, and is only likely to continue spreading as demand for shipping services grows. And while many in the industry have taken plenty of notice that truckers' pay is on the rise as a result, what's less often discussed is the other ways in which truckers are reaping more benefits thanks to the driver shortage.

While truckers are certainly seeing their rates rise, they now often have enough power within their own freight businesses to be able to demand that those companies no longer work with partners that do not value truckers' time properly, according to Bloomberg News. As a consequence, many businesses that work heavily with shipping firms are improving amenities for drivers - such as renovating or otherwise improving break rooms - and trying to speed up the loading and unloading process to stay on truckers' good sides.

"If a shipper in our network is a serial abuser of detention, we will not take their freight," Drew McElroy, chief executive officer of the logistics startup Transfix, told Bloomberg. "We're actually building our brand with the driver community at least partially around the quality of the freight and the freight experience you have."

More being done
The reason this is such an important point in time for the trucking industry is that there is now a lot more being done to get more drivers on the road in short order if the sector is going to have any hope of meeting future demand, according to Transport Topics. More freight companies are investing heavily in their training efforts so that they can simply turn over more incoming drivers per session; one such driving school is now on a path toward being able to eventually increase the size of its single-class capacity from 25 to 100.

This is important because, even with pay and amenities improving, drivers are still turning over in the industry at an incredible rate, and it's something that even industry experts agree needs to be addressed sooner than later, the report said.

Changing laws
Meanwhile, the California legislature is now working to improve drivers' situations at the state's ports as well, according to the National Resources Defense Council. There, it was recently found that drivers were being misclassified as independent contractors all too often, leading to the introduction of SB 1402, which would impose new penalties for companies that do not pay drivers appropriately. The practice of underpaying drivers may, in turn, lead to more pollution because companies might not be able to afford the upkeep on their vehicles.

When companies are able to provide drivers with as many benefits as possible in addition to the higher pay that is now increasingly common in the industry, they are far more likely to keep their retention rates high. While turnover will always be a fact of life for freight companies, anything that can be done to limit it will go a long way in today's market.