Will the trucker shortage glitch Cyber Monday?
Cyber shoppers sitting smugly in front of their computers on Black聽Friday聽as thousands camp out in the cold to get holiday deals my feel a bit less comfortable knowing that a trucking shortage and logistical issues could keep some Cyber聽Monday聽purchases from arriving on time.
It may be virtually impossible for sellers to keep all the delivery promises made to cyber shoppers given the shipping industry鈥檚 ongoing lack of truck drivers.
The proliferation of technology designed to streamline online shopping, such as for iOS and for both iOS and Android, makes it easier than ever to do your holiday shopping online.聽And the brisker the Cyber聽Monday sales, the more real world trucks will have to be on the road. 聽This could pose a problem: The American Trucking Associations estimates that聽.
Ninety percent of carriers said they couldn't find enough drivers who met Department of Transportation criteria, according to a study cited by the ATA.聽
According to DMV.org, a privately operated website that posts information about state motor vehicle agencies, qualifying for a Commercial Driver鈥檚 License is no simple matter.
鈥淭o become a commercial driver you need more than a driver鈥檚 license and a love for the open road. Like any career, it ,鈥� the DMV site cautions.聽聽
鈥�FedEx has invested billions of dollars into our network to accommodate growth. In the past five years, FedEx Ground has invested close to $2.5 billion on projects related to growing our capacity鈥攖hings like expansions and new facilities,鈥� Bonny Harrison, FedEx Global Media Relations, wrote in an email in response to being asked how the shipping giant copes with the e-commerce influx. 鈥淎nother $1.2 billion has been projected for this fiscal year, which we are in the middle of now.鈥�
Harrison adds, 鈥淲e are also hiring 50,000 seasonal workers to prepare for the volume, which is propelled by online shopping, and we will run a seven-day operation during the holiday season.聽 We have also been in close collaboration with our retail customers to ensure we have an accurate reading of what they鈥檙e volumes will look like.鈥�
The lack of qualified truck drivers is not new, and is in fact easing somewhat.聽
鈥淲hile high, turnover at large truckload carriers when the driver shortage was as acute. In 2005, turnover averaged 130%. In 2006, another year with a tight driver market, turnover averaged 117% for this group of carriers,鈥� ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello聽wrote on the ATA website.聽
Turnover at small truckload fleets slipped 1 point in the first quarter of the year to 78%, which was the second lowest rate during the past year. In 2005 and 2006, turnover averaged 96% and 109%, respectively, for this group.
Improved economic growth and healthier freight volumes will only put more pressure on the聽聽and the driver shortage, the site notes.
鈥淭oday, the industry has in the range of 30,000 to 35,000 unfilled truck driver jobs,鈥� Mr. Costello said. 鈥淎s the industry starts to haul more because demand goes up, we鈥檒l need to add more drivers 鈥� nearly 100,000 annually over the next decade 鈥� in order to keep pace.鈥�
