The National Transportation Institute reposted this
President & CEO - The National Transportation Institute, Driver Compensation & Engagement Expert, SiriusXM Radio Host Ch. 146, Trucking Company Board Member & Advisor, Keynote Speaker
Last week I posted about the unfortunate drop in the percentage of female student drivers, which this year fell back to 2019 levels (around 10% of students and trainees) after a rise to more than 15% in 2022. NTI’s 2024 National Student & Trainer Pay Survey showed a similar retreat in efforts to recruit younger people to the trucking industry. In 2022, the average age of student drivers/trainees was 33.1, down from 38.5 in 2019. This year the average age is back up to 37.8. Our industry cannot sustain itself on the current path, as the chart below shows. We are woefully behind the general workforce when it comes to attracting Millennials, those aged 28-43 and who make up 44% of the U.S. labor force, and Gen Z, whose participation in the workforce will boom soon. Addressing our lack of inroads with younger people is crucial, and NTI has assembled strategies we all can implement to do so. ➡️ In a recent episode of Taking the Hire Road, Mark Colson, president and CEO of the Alabama Trucking Association, and I discussed partnerships with high schools, community colleges, and other training programs, attending career fairs, and supporting and promoting organizations that interface and train entry-level drivers, even if your company doesn’t hire those without experience. https://bit.ly/4eZci5P ➡️ Consider joining or otherwise supporting the Next Generation in Trucking Association, whose efforts seek to raise the profile of trucking among Millennials and Gen Z and to engage students in high schools and community colleges with opportunities available to them in trucking: https://bit.ly/3U05e0o (Shout out to the amazing work by Lindsey Trent!) ➡️ Also check out this episode of Taking the Hire Road, where I talked with Brad Ball, president and CEO of Roadmaster Drivers School, about redefining the value of new drivers:. https://bit.ly/3ZUDNJi ➡️ Learn about best practices for recruiting different age cohorts:. https://bit.ly/4dK0zXA ➡️ Consider how paid parental leave could entice younger drivers who have or are considering starting a family: https://bit.ly/4eVUHvc We won’t attract younger people to our industry if we don’t reach out to them specifically, address the issues important to them, and meet them where they are. Have any best practices that have been successful at your company? Feel free to share them in the comments! #trucking #nti #driverwages #nextgeneration #genz #millennials