There is no doubt one of the biggest impediments to growth in the container transport industry is the lack of skilled drivers. Recent COVID impacts have only made the situation worse with many transport companies struggling to meet customer demand. There is nothing more frustrating for a transport operator than to have trucks sitting idle, parked up because they simply can’t man their trucks with drivers. The container transport industry is a 24/7 industry so in a perfect world, trucking companies would have their trucks working around the clock. The work is there but the drivers are not. So, what can the industry do to solve this problem? Many companies are paying rates well above award wages and yet this is not enough to attract more drivers to the industry. It’s not uncommon these days to see drivers in the container transport industry earning over $100K a year. Companies are also investing in training, upskilling drivers, and even recruiting from people outside the industry or from other countries as they desperately try to find drivers. It’s a problem that will not be fixed anytime soon however the industry needs to invest in education and marketing to attract the next generation…
Many ports and trucking companies operate 24 hours a day, should importers and exporters do the same?
Ports and many transport companies have invested in 24-hour operations to meet the demands of customers, exploit broader access to terminals, and increase the utilization of their assets. Despite the increasing shift to 24-hour operations, the majority of deliveries of containers still occur during daytime hours. I’m sure many of these companies would like to see more importers and exporters open their doors after hours so they can increase their fleet utilization and service more customers with the trucking assets they have. This is much better than having to buy more trucks or engage subcontractors to meet customer deliveries all squeezed into daytime operating hours. Utilization of port terminals and trucking remains low during nights and it’s a combination of lack of drivers and lack of customers willing to open their doors after hours that are some of the main reasons for this. Recently in the USA, the Port of Los Angeles extended its receival and dispatch operations at night in an effort to clear the large backlog, however this was not well supported by transport operators who struggled to find drivers and customers who were willing and able to receive or pack containers at night from their factories or…