Don't use other pin pullers, You could get hurt! 
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Fewer drivers are answering the call of the open road, if they only knew about the equalizer tandem pin puller, they might change their minds.
Time away from home, poor pay keeping would-be truckers sidelined
Trucking facts
• The number of long-haul drivers in 2004 was 1.3 million. That's 20,000 fewer than were needed.
• The shortage could reach 111,000 by 2014. With increased demand, about 54,000 new truckers will be needed each year for the next decade.
• More than half of all truckers are white males, aged 35 to 54. This group is expected to decline by 3 million over the next 10 years.
• The average trucker spends five to six days a week on the road and makes about $45,000 a year.
By Jaime Malarkey
jaime.malarkey@indystar.com
The Mr. Fuel truck stop on South Harding Street is Sylvester Palascios' home away from home.
Pulling in after a long day at work, he dines on plastic-wrapped snacks and showers in a public washroom before settling in for a nap in the cab of his 18-wheeler.
The father of four girls -- the youngest is 9 -- and his rig pass through the Indianapolis truck stop every two weeks before returning to his "real" San Antonio home for just as many days. Then, he is on the road again.
"You have to spend a lot of time (away) from home and your family. The pay is not really good, for the day is tiring," he said, referring to the average trucker salary of $45,000, significantly less than the average construction worker.
The transient lifestyle of the country's 3 million long-haul truckers is one reason behind a 20,000-driver shortage that could increase to more than five times that by 2014, according to Global Insight, a Massachusetts-based economic consulting firm that this year studied the problem for the American Trucking Associations. And that's on top of 54,000 trucking jobs the economy will create each of the next 10 years.
Next to soaring gas prices, the shortage of drivers is the gripe Tisha Eder, executive vice president of the Indiana Motor Trucking Association, most often hears.
The conversion to just-in-time inventory -- when companies have supplies delivered regularly to the door -- means less freight is sitting in warehouses and more on the road. "Now that freight is moving, it's universal," Eder said. "Even smaller fleets are constantly putting ads in for new drivers."
The shortage is good news for local trucking-related businesses, like Commercial Driver Training Consultants Inc., a school that places about 200 graduates each year.
"The carriers are just waiting for them to come through the door," said company Vice President Linda Priest.
Among them is CRST Premier Transport, a new Indianapolis-based division of CRST International, which is based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Four partners launched the company this month and hope to build a team of 200 to 300 drivers in the next two years.
So far, they have found 20.
Recruiting strategy
But driving recruiter Ronny Betz, who recruited for Indianapolis-based Celadon for five years, isn't discouraged. He says most drivers spend five or six days on the road and only one at home. His strategy for recruitment and retention gets to the heart of the problem: offer more pay and time at home.
"That shortage is based on the operational procedures of our industry," he said. "Who in their right mind wants to be away from home seven to 14 days at a time, come home for two days, and then do that again for the rest of their career? That's craziness."
Inherent lifestyle challenges coupled with new federal regulations -- including tighter age requirements, stricter drug and drunk driving restrictions, and added security precautions that include fingerprinting -- are limiting who gets licensed to drive commercial trucks, experts lamented.
And more veterans are retiring. One-fifth of all heavy-duty truckers are 55 or older, according to the American Trucking Associations, and only a few work past 65. At the same time, the population of white males ages 35 to 54 -- who make up more than half the drivers on the road today -- is shrinking, according to a report by Little Rock, Ark.-based Stephens Investment Bankers.
Women, minorities and others not normally found behind the wheel of a truck are being recruited, although analysts at Stephens have "serious doubts" that the percentage of women truck drivers ever will exceed 8 percent.
And while minorities are interested in becoming drivers, the analysts concluded that immigrants and Hispanics offer longer-term hope but no immediate relief. Celadon recruiter Betz said Hispanics are more likely to prioritize family and off-time.
Not everyone is worried, though. Pay for drivers is increasing, notes Celadon Chief Executive Steve Russell. And the shortage could force carriers to change the way they manage drivers, increasing morale and loyalty.
Drivers ranked "respect from management" second only to pay, Stephens analysts found -- more important than health-care benefits, pension plans and time away from home. Almost 40 percent said they left their last trucking job because of a lack of recognition and respect.
"Too many trucking companies don't know that," Russell said. "We often say we have two customers. Customer No. 1 is our driver, and No. 2 is the client."
Working on problem
Tiffany Wlazlowski, spokeswoman for the American Trucking Associations, said the shortage isn't bad enough to keep freight sitting on docks and out of the hands of consumers. "We're going to get our hands around the problem," she said, noting that companies are focusing on improving pay and conditions for workers.
That's a challenge, she and others acknowledge, especially when it comes to keeping drivers occupied when they are not driving.
"There are some roadside rest stops, but what do you do when you're there?" Russell said. "You don't go the neighborhood Italian restaurant because there isn't one. You can't go to the movies, or walk down the street and go shopping. You can't drive down to Downtown Indianapolis and park at five meters. It's a lonely job."
Palascios is living testimony. After he and his partner each parked their rigs at Mr. Fuel last Friday, he spent his mandatory 14-hour break listlessly looking out the window. "It's getting harder and harder for truckers everyday," he said. "I always say, 'It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it.' It's not for everyone."
Trucking facts
• The number of long-haul drivers in 2004 was 1.3 million. That's 20,000 fewer than were needed.
• The shortage could reach 111,000 by 2014. With increased demand, about 54,000 new truckers will be needed each year for the next decade.
• More than half of all truckers are white males, aged 35 to 54. This group is expected to decline by 3 million over the next 10 years.
• The average trucker spends five to six days a week on the road and makes about $45,000 a year.
By Jaime Malarkey
jaime.malarkey@indystar.com
The Mr. Fuel truck stop on South Harding Street is Sylvester Palascios' home away from home.
Pulling in after a long day at work, he dines on plastic-wrapped snacks and showers in a public washroom before settling in for a nap in the cab of his 18-wheeler.
The father of four girls -- the youngest is 9 -- and his rig pass through the Indianapolis truck stop every two weeks before returning to his "real" San Antonio home for just as many days. Then, he is on the road again.
"You have to spend a lot of time (away) from home and your family. The pay is not really good, for the day is tiring," he said, referring to the average trucker salary of $45,000, significantly less than the average construction worker.
The transient lifestyle of the country's 3 million long-haul truckers is one reason behind a 20,000-driver shortage that could increase to more than five times that by 2014, according to Global Insight, a Massachusetts-based economic consulting firm that this year studied the problem for the American Trucking Associations. And that's on top of 54,000 trucking jobs the economy will create each of the next 10 years.
Next to soaring gas prices, the shortage of drivers is the gripe Tisha Eder, executive vice president of the Indiana Motor Trucking Association, most often hears.
The conversion to just-in-time inventory -- when companies have supplies delivered regularly to the door -- means less freight is sitting in warehouses and more on the road. "Now that freight is moving, it's universal," Eder said. "Even smaller fleets are constantly putting ads in for new drivers."
The shortage is good news for local trucking-related businesses, like Commercial Driver Training Consultants Inc., a school that places about 200 graduates each year.
"The carriers are just waiting for them to come through the door," said company Vice President Linda Priest.
Among them is CRST Premier Transport, a new Indianapolis-based division of CRST International, which is based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Four partners launched the company this month and hope to build a team of 200 to 300 drivers in the next two years.
So far, they have found 20.
Recruiting strategy
But driving recruiter Ronny Betz, who recruited for Indianapolis-based Celadon for five years, isn't discouraged. He says most drivers spend five or six days on the road and only one at home. His strategy for recruitment and retention gets to the heart of the problem: offer more pay and time at home.
"That shortage is based on the operational procedures of our industry," he said. "Who in their right mind wants to be away from home seven to 14 days at a time, come home for two days, and then do that again for the rest of their career? That's craziness."
Inherent lifestyle challenges coupled with new federal regulations -- including tighter age requirements, stricter drug and drunk driving restrictions, and added security precautions that include fingerprinting -- are limiting who gets licensed to drive commercial trucks, experts lamented.
And more veterans are retiring. One-fifth of all heavy-duty truckers are 55 or older, according to the American Trucking Associations, and only a few work past 65. At the same time, the population of white males ages 35 to 54 -- who make up more than half the drivers on the road today -- is shrinking, according to a report by Little Rock, Ark.-based Stephens Investment Bankers.
Women, minorities and others not normally found behind the wheel of a truck are being recruited, although analysts at Stephens have "serious doubts" that the percentage of women truck drivers ever will exceed 8 percent.
And while minorities are interested in becoming drivers, the analysts concluded that immigrants and Hispanics offer longer-term hope but no immediate relief. Celadon recruiter Betz said Hispanics are more likely to prioritize family and off-time.
Not everyone is worried, though. Pay for drivers is increasing, notes Celadon Chief Executive Steve Russell. And the shortage could force carriers to change the way they manage drivers, increasing morale and loyalty.
Drivers ranked "respect from management" second only to pay, Stephens analysts found -- more important than health-care benefits, pension plans and time away from home. Almost 40 percent said they left their last trucking job because of a lack of recognition and respect.
"Too many trucking companies don't know that," Russell said. "We often say we have two customers. Customer No. 1 is our driver, and No. 2 is the client."
Working on problem
Tiffany Wlazlowski, spokeswoman for the American Trucking Associations, said the shortage isn't bad enough to keep freight sitting on docks and out of the hands of consumers. "We're going to get our hands around the problem," she said, noting that companies are focusing on improving pay and conditions for workers.
That's a challenge, she and others acknowledge, especially when it comes to keeping drivers occupied when they are not driving.
"There are some roadside rest stops, but what do you do when you're there?" Russell said. "You don't go the neighborhood Italian restaurant because there isn't one. You can't go to the movies, or walk down the street and go shopping. You can't drive down to Downtown Indianapolis and park at five meters. It's a lonely job."
Palascios is living testimony. After he and his partner each parked their rigs at Mr. Fuel last Friday, he spent his mandatory 14-hour break listlessly looking out the window. "It's getting harder and harder for truckers everyday," he said. "I always say, 'It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it.' It's not for everyone."
