The Biden administration rolled out a host of new actions on Thursday aimed at boosting the number of truck drivers in the United States, a key factor in supply chain bottlenecks plaguing the country.
“A strong, stable, and safe trucking workforce that offers good-paying jobs to millions of truck drivers is a critical lifeblood of our economy,” White House officials said in a statement. “But outdated infrastructure, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a historic volume of goods moving through our economy have strained capacity across the supply chain, including in trucking.”
BIDEN GETS KEY SHIPPING PLAYERS TO OPERATE 24/7 TO ADDRESS NATIONWIDE SUPPLY CHAIN BOTTLENECKS
Thursday’s announcement focuses on four areas:
- Helping states lower barriers to obtaining commercial driver’s licenses.
- A “90-Day Challenge” to expand registered truck driver apprenticeship programs.
- Launching outreach and recruitment programs aimed at veterans, already a core demographic of the truck-driving workforce.
- Launching the “Driving Good Jobs” joint initiative at the departments of Labor and Transportation.
On Wednesday, the administration estimated that roughly 72% of all commercial goods are transported by truck drivers. Though wages for drivers had increased since 2019, the total workforce itself has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
The action includes at least $30 million in Department of Transportation funding to help state departments of motor vehicles expedite CDLs and launch nearly a dozen new apprenticeship programs. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will also hold the first “Driving Good Jobs” listening session at the White House, where administration officials will hear from key industry stakeholders on ways to boost the number of drivers and the field’s immediate needs.
“The Administration is taking action, and now we are asking industry, labor, and all levels of government to partner with us to address these trucking workforce challenges and begin building a next generation trucking workforce,” the White House said. “Trucking employers across the U.S. are taking steps to make trucking jobs better and to develop innovative workforce programs that recruit, train, and retain drivers, especially from underrepresented communities like women, the formerly incarcerated, and service-disabled veterans. But the scale of the challenge means we need action to scale up these strategies.”
The truck driver initiatives come amid sweeping action from the administration to shore up supply chain deficiencies. Still, the initiatives often put Biden squarely between unions, a key political ally, and pro-automation groups in labor disputes.
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This is a developing story and will be updated.
