Page 35 - ATR 6 2015 web 2

barrier to entry

The small state and federal obstacles that slow efforts to aid the driver shortage

by bethany may

Managing Editor

Drivers are in high demand, with
companies desperate for qualified men
and women to safely transport their
freight. It wouldn’t appear there’s much
that can get in the way of someone who
wants to hit the road as a professional
truck driver.
If one wants to drive, he need only
to get his commercial driver’s license,
drug test, a physical from a certified
doctor, background check and the keys.
Unless the prospective driver is
under 21. Or is limited by the lack of
third-party testers that could otherwise
certify them for commercial driving.
While some might suggest mountains
are being made of molehills, those are
two of the primary interruptions in the
industry’s rush to stop the leak in the
driver pool and fill it with a new gen-
eration of professionals.
While recruiters can offer training
to the inexperienced to get them into
cabs out on the road, building their
careers, there’s not much they can do
about the state and federal rules that
slow the flow of drivers into the quickly
shallowing pool.
Companies aren’t making it overly
difficult for the right applicants to start
their trucking careers, because this isn’t
the time to turn the qualified away for
a spelling error on a resume, like in
other professions.
Kasi Pratt, manager of recruit-
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ArkAnsAs truckIng rePort | Issue 6 2015 35