Industry and carriers looking to recruit women and veterans
 

Looks like the industry and carriers are shifting their focus on recruiting veterans and female drivers.

Is this a viable long-term solution for the driver shortage? What are your thoughts on how they are using their resources?

I got no bones with women drivers. This isn't construction where the bigger a man you are, the better. A 100 pound woman can do it just as well as a burly 250 pound man. Studies have been done, women overall are better drivers than men, they are much safer and cautious behind the wheel. Yes, some men have been driving 40 years and never had an incident, but when you lump then in with all the other men drivers, their score drops, a lot.

As for Vets, I'm seeing an ugly trend starting. I'm discovering stories of vets being run into the ground by these Vet-friendly companies. Being dispatched for a month straight with no home time. When the driver stands up and demands home time, their service to America is questioned. The Duty and Honor card is played against them. That is disgusting and sick. Again, no bones against them from me but some companies seem to be getting tax breaks and such for hiring vets, then they run them into the ground just like they do with regular Joes.

What I am seeing more though is companies using rail to move loads. Used to only be a couple doing it, now it's most all the big names. Trains move a fair bit slower, but they can move more loads in 1 shot, so in essence it's MUCH faster and you need less drivers overall.

The driver shortage depends on who you talk to. Some say the shortage is actually a shortage of loads, not drivers. Others say too many loads, not enough drivers.......1 way to help that, if true, is to follow the airline route. Stop moving loads that are not full trailers. Airlines cut routes out to condense and force fuller planes. Trucking companies COULD do the same, what driver shortage then?