Apprenticeship: Approved

A budding partnership took root on March 1st, when the U.S. Department of Labor combined forces with American Trucking Associations (ATA) to usher in an apprenticeship program that could alter the course of the ongoing driver shortage in America.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh formally established and introduced ATA as an officially registered apprenticeship sponsor on the first day of the month. Such a move signifies the country's intention to march forward with its plan to significantly shutter the gap between qualified commercial drivers and those seemingly less interested in joining this level of the workforce.

So, What Does This Mean?

This partnership is meant to be a 90-day challenge aimed at recruiting and establishing various employers who are interested in developing Registered Apprenticeship programs, designed to provide on-the-job training and pay to young drivers wanting to enter the over-the-road commercial driving profession. This is an avenue that's believed will help quell the shortage on drivers in the industry and provide proper training and on-boarding for those who haven't already experienced life on the road.

Since the challenge launched in December, over 300 employers and workforce recruitment groups have joined in the efforts to bring this apprenticeship program to fruition.

How Will This Work?

With ATA becoming the official federal apprenticeship sponsor they will work with FASTPORT, a transportation and logistics intermediary for the Labor Department, to assist in administering the program for member companies of the ATA. Any participating carriers will be required to meet specific training and compensation requirements as deemed to be a necessary part of the two-year proposed apprenticeships.

This is needed because it ensures that new drivers, 21 years-old and younger, will be properly trained in manners concerning over-the-road driving. As any veteran driver is already aware, it takes more than just a few months behind the wheel to really carve out a person's place in the industry. Heck, there are plenty of drivers out there who are still trying to figure things out.

Recapping the Need

With supply chains bottlenecking across the globe, and particularly in the United States, it's become imperative that the ongoing driver shortage be addressed to help in alleviating some of the slowdowns at the ports and across the nation.

It's been reported by ATA that the transportation industry is drastically short on drivers, to the tune of over 80,000 less than what's needed efficiently move freight across this country. An apprenticeship program such as what's being approached and attempted, aims at creating interest and enticement for younger driving professionals to enter the logistics workforce.

Will it Work?

Only time will tell if this effort will see its rewards, or ultimately fall for naught. With increasingly stringent regulations from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) having been enacted over the course of the last twenty years, it's refreshing to see a novel approach being taken in an effort to pump new blood into the veins of the logistics industry.

While there are legitimate safety concerns regarding younger over-the-road drivers traversing America's roadways, the fact remains that the well of qualified drivers has been drying up for quite sometime and there just hasn't been a large enough bucket to retrieve such fresh specimens.

Until next time.

Brandon Scott