TYLER, Texas — Groceries, fireworks, gasoline, and nearly everything else Americans want during the summer is rising in price, in part because there are not enough truck drivers to move it all.
The pandemic has accelerated this long-time problem, so competition among trucking companies is creating opportunities too good for some East Texans to pass up.
To see the future of the trucking industry, all one has to do is head to a cul-de-sac near the intersection of Loop 323 and Highway 31 on the east side of Tyler. There, several people are steering their lives in a new direction.
“I want a change, you know, in my financial situation,” Miranda Chism explained.
Chism was one of eight students on this day learning to drive an 18-wheeler. The following day, she would take the test to get her commercial drivers license. But she is not nervous as she gets behind the wheel. That is a skill she has gained, as well.
“You got to be calm and control those nerves while you're doing it,” she explained. “So, that's been the biggest learning experience, just controlling my mindset on it.
“It's more demanding than you probably would think. You know, you would think that you come in with some driving experience, and you know, it's easy, breezy. But then, when you get in the truck, and you find out, like, okay, I don't know it all, you know, it's a learning experience, a process. But the challenges kind of help you grow, like any other challenge. It's just a learning experience. So, if you commit to it, you stick to it, you'll get it.”
Chism is a student of Career Trucking School, which partners with Tyler Junior College to train new drivers. Kenneth Sumner, an instructor, said he has noticed more people applying for the course. “We're completely swamped right now,” he said. “We're trying to push students as fast as we can through the school. We pick up on average about every two weeks. And those classes have been rather large.”
The course typically takes six weeks to complete and includes classroom work and behind-the-wheel instruction. Upon completion, the student takes the state’s test to receive a CDL. Sumner said several companies continuously recruit Career Trucking School’s graduates, and drivers earn starting salaries that are better than entry-level positions in most industries.
“They can be walking out of here looking at $50,000-60,000 their first year,” he stated. “Trucking companies are competing aggressively to get drivers right now.”
Additionally, many companies offer sign-on bonuses of as much as $10,000.
Sumner said drivers have been in short supply for years. “Some of the factors,” he said, “that are contributing to that: age. It's a generational thing. Overregulating. That's the big thing that's forcing some of the drivers out of the industry. So, you know, that shortage of drivers has been there. And as an industry, we've been able to still meet the demands. We're still moving freight. COVID impacted some of that. And, you know, people were furloughed. Schools were shut down, we were furloughed. So we had a lot of challenges to get over with that during that time. But the shortage is still there. And we're trying to meet that shortage.”
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Chism is one of two women in the group at the practice location. Sumner said more women are getting behind the wheel, as well, as companies offer benefits packages and scheduling plans that lead to a better quality of life. Chism said, after a friend encouraged her to consider driving, she discovered she would not be alone after browsing social media.
“There's groups, like on Facebook, where you can just get out there and relate,” she said. “It's not that they never were there. It's just that you see more of it now.”
Chism spent 15 years teaching and said she loved working with children. But her own children inspired her to make a U-turn in search of a career that will allow her to build more wealth.
“There's other things I want to do in life,” she said. “And this has an open opportunity for somebody in my situation to try something different. And they're excited. My kids are very supportive.”
Sumner said the course can cost a few thousand dollars, depending on the student’s experience level, but he mentioned that the Texas Workforce Commission offers grants to help pay for it, and many companies offer full training reimbursement as part of their sign-on bonuses.