Page 42 - ATR 6 2014 web

tHe LaSt word

an Honorable Profession

By kenneth calhoun can’t expect their younger workers—espe- We have to communicate the value of the

Guest Writer cially talented Millennials—to stick around employee to the organization by providing
much longer than 36 months, if that. personal recognition for their efforts and
For years, we’ve been dealing with the Despite this double whammy, many giving routine updates on the company’s
very real crisis of the truck driver short- companies have yet to reshape their envi- performance as a result of those efforts.
age. The American Trucking Associations ronments so they can recruit and retain In addition, we should present the oppor-
reports that freight volumes grow year-over- the type of workers who can perform at tunities for growth as they become avail-
year, but the industry is still many drivers the level that company executives have able. It is also imperative that we provide
short of supporting that growth. In addi- come to expect. transparency giving them insight to what
tion, driver turnover is up 11 percent this To give you an idea of the magnitude is going on within the organization. Doing
year. And yet, freight companies are not of the issue, look at these statistics from so creates buy-in and promotes a spirit of
just missing men and women behind the Anthony Carnevale, National Association partnership and can only benefit our busi-
wheels of trucks. There is another crisis we of Manufacturers. In 2010, the skilled nesses as a whole.
are facing in terms of manpower: a techni- worker gap (unfilled jobs) sat at 5.3 mil- It is also our responsibility to take
cian shortage, the men and women under lion people. The projected gap in 2020 is a hard look at how we prepare people to
the hoods and hovering over motherboards 14 million. enter our industry. Are we competing for
of increasingly complex freight machines. In short, we are not just competing the best and brightest? Are we doing every-
The whole chain is affected as demand against each other for the very limited thing needed to equip our institutions
grows, but manpower stays the same. talent pool available but also against all with current technology and then holding
In terms of supporting the fleet that the other industries dependent on these them accountable for the quality of educa-
moves our nation, we have only the low- people. tion that they provide?
est capacity to keep the system running. Our challenge as an industry is to Finally, we have to deliver the message
Wait times at service locations are at elevate the image of our technicians. to the young people that will be entering
record lengths. Staffing fleet maintenance Recently, there have been discussions the workforce that ours is an honorable
facilities has become a constant challenge. indicating that the European counterpart profession with unlimited career growth
Asset utilization is suffering, and it is hard- to our technician enjoys a higher social potential. I suspect that many of you read-
er each day for the fleet operator to deliver status. Is that a function of the required ing this now did not start in the position
the service their customer demands. three year apprenticeship after the formal you have. In my estimation, the leaders of
So what gives? Aside from the expo- education? this industry by a large margin started in
nential growth of complexity in the vehi- We will have to create the type of the trenches as drivers, technicians and
cles, near record delivery of new vehicles work environments that will attract and many others of the numerous roles that
and growing demand for delivery of raw retain top talent. This is done by demon- propel the commerce and economy of our
materials and finished goods, why are the strating a commitment to their long term nation.
wheels coming off? career growth. We are obligated to com-
One doesn’t have to look hard to find municate our expectations to the employee kenneth Calhoun is Vice President
Customer Relations for Truck Centers of
the root cause. We simply don’t have the by setting goals and empowering them to Arkansas and serves as Chairman of the
people required to support the equipment. achieve those goals. In addition, we must Service Provider Study Group within the
The most skilled and senior employees at provide support by regularly reminding Technology and Maintenance Council of
many companies are retiring in large num- employees that we are ready and willing the American Trucking Associations. He
bers. Meanwhile, those same companies to listen to their concerns and questions. can be reached at kcalhoun@truckcenter-
sar.com

Opinions expressed on this page may not reflect official policies or opinions of the
Arkansas Trucking Association or the American Trucking Associations.

42 arkansas trucking report | issue 6 2014