East Texas students go to driving school to meet demand for truck drivers
Trucking companies are offering high salaries and sign-on bonuses to attract drivers and reverse a long-running driver shortage
Author: David Lippman (KYTX)
Updated: 10:35 PM CDT July 27, 2021
TYLER, Texas — Groceries, fireworks, gasoline, and nearly everything else Americans want during the summer is rising in price, in part because there are not enough truck drivers to move it all.
The pandemic has accelerated this long-time problem, so competition among trucking companies is creating opportunities too good for some East Texans to pass up.
To see the future of the trucking industry, all one has to do is head to a cul-de-sac near the intersection of Loop 323 and Highway 31 on the east side of Tyler. There, several people are steering their lives in a new direction.