By Griselda Perez Wisconsin
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MARINETTE COUNTY, Wis. Through the pandemic, the essential services of the transportation industry kept our daily lives as normal as possible.
Despite growing demand for truckers, local Wisconsin trucking companies like Veriha Trucking have seen felt the impact of a national driver shortage.
Veriha Trucking president Karen Smerchek said there’s a growing gap between the number of drivers retiring and the number entering the industry, causing the shortage. However, new recruitment strategies like appealing to new high school graduates may help fill those positions over time.
“We do think there’s opportunity for those individuals right out of high school,” Smerchek said. “However, because of the flexibility of this job and the downtime, there are people that go to college full time and drive trucks.”
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. GarzaA veteran on the road: Tom Billups has worked for Morris Trucking for over 30 years. Here, he poses for a photo at the business on Wednesday. According to surveys by the American Trucking Association, nearly 57% of all commercial truck drivers are over 45, and 23% are over 55.
JOSEPH C. GARZA
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. GarzaDrivers in short supply: Tom Billups unhooks a trailer from his semi at Morris Trucking on Wednesday. Billups has worked for the company for over 30 years.
JOSEPH C. GARZA
JOSEPH C. GARZA
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. GarzaDrivers needed: A sign in front of RBW on Wednesday letspassers-by know opportunities are available for CDL holders.
Training more students more quickly will be one goal of the new Webster County-based West Kentucky Regional Training Center â a project created in a partnership between Madisonville and Henderson Community and Technical Colleges and the county governments of Union and Webster counties.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear was in Webster County on Wednesday to award a $472,000 Community Development Block Grant for the project, which will be used to convert a former Dotiki Coal location in Lisman into classrooms and laboratories which bill used to train students looking to attain a Commercial Drivers License, to become an electrical lineman or to work as a diesel mechanic.