Astronaut, Firefighter … Parts Specialist
During last month’s inaugural Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference in Dallas, several speakers noted that there’s a looming driver shortage that will rival or exceed any previous one.
Partly to blame is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010, a new rating system for carriers and drivers. Known as CSA 2010, these new rules will both eliminate a pool of potential drivers and require a longer hiring process for others as they are entered into and evaluated against the new system. This, the speakers noted, will likely cripple capacity as freight volumes rise and the trucking industry tries desperately to climb out of its prolonged slump.
Of course, if there’s a shortage of drivers, there will again be a shortage of aftermarket professionals, namely service technicians and parts counterpeople. More tonnage means more trucks in operation – some, if not many, of which will be pulled back into service after months of neglect and even cannibalization.
These seem like welcome problems compared to the financial sufferings of the past few years, but we will soon again be bemoaning these issues as loudly and passionately as we did before the economic downturn.
[email protected]It is indeed a cyclical industry. And while we generally learn a little bit more and grow a little bit stronger through each cycle, when it comes to finding and retaining new talent in the industry, we fall short time and time again.
While interviewing Shawn Shumaker, director of purchasing for Heavy Duty America and a former parts counterperson, for this month’s cover story, he commented: “Nobody grows up thinking they want to be a counterman.”
I don’t doubt that, and I’d add most other trucking industry jobs to that list.
Why is this? Maybe it’s a lack of action figures? No Saturday morning cartoons featuring the adventures of Captain Counterman! or Super Serviceman!? Do we need to start a grassroots effort to bring “B.J. and the Bear” back into syndication?
There’s a lot worse ways to earn a living.
Most people end up in careers they never thought they’d end up in but are quite glad they did. Careers in the trucking industry are no exception. In fact, if you look over the Distributor of the Year finalists’ responses to “What Advice Would You Give a Young Person Considering a Career in the Aftermarket?” over the past few years, you have enthusiastic encouragement for choosing such a career path.
Most all of us can agree it’s a good industry, filled with great people and there’s a lot worse ways to earn a living.
We just continue to do a poor job of promoting the goodwill and enthusiasm we already have for what we do and what we know. Participate in local career fairs, work with your local military outplacement service, pay a visit to the high school guidance counselors in your areas. Whatever small impact we can make locally will slowly but surely erode the problem nationally.
While it’s too little, too late to make much of an impact for this next cycle of shortages, we can start to lay the groundwork to make the one after that a little less painful and help ensure this industry remains fresh, viable and prosperous. n
