According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the trucking industry now employs roughly 30,000 more drivers than at the start of the pandemic.
DOT hopes to bolster these gains with recent accomplishments in its efforts to advance trucking.
These achievements include more than 90 employers launching registered apprenticeship programs in 90 days and — between 2021 and 2022 — a 112% increase in commercial driver’s licenses issued in January and February.
DOT also recently launched a new Women of Trucking Advisory Board to recruit women and a new Veterans Trucking Task Force to bring more veterans into the industry.
DOT notes trucking is “one key bottleneck,” which has struggled with declining employment — even before the pandemic — and a historic demand for goods since the pandemic.
