Shortage of Truck Drivers – A Neglected Human Resource

SHORTAGE OF TRUCK DRIVERS – A NEGLECTED HUMAN RESOURCE

The shortage of truck drivers, especially long-haul, is a phenomenon that is causing serious problems in the already complex supply chain situation.

It is a global problem, that is, it does not distinguish geographies and does not appear to be something temporary, but rather,It is a consequence of a varied combination of factors.

Among the most relevant that are usually mentioned when this problem is addressed are: that it is unattractive for young people, that it is a very demanding activity in often hostile conditions, health threatened by poor diet and long hours sitting, insufficient pay and limited possibilities for advancement.

Related to the latter, there is an extremely relevant aspect that is not usually mentioned and that is that due to the dynamics of the activity, except in a very limited percentage, the truck driver is not usually considered part of the staff of the companies for which they work. work and therefore, are not being considered in good human resources practices related to their welfare, training initiatives, retention plans, etc.

In other words, since the truck driver is a key asset in the logistics processes, it turns out that he does not receive the consideration and treatment that the permanent collaborators of the companies to which he transports their valuable products benefit.

This situation is not only due to a failure of vision on the part of the cargo generating companies, but also the very context in which the logistics activity is carried out conspires against any initiative that could be thought of in this regard.

This context shows that nearly 90% of all trucks that transport goods are owned by a single person or at most by small companies that usually have no more than five teams.

In practice, this means that except for 10% of drivers who work for medium or large companies as part of their permanent staff, all the others are self-employed who are part of a large chain of subcontracting, with diverse modalities and therefore, They are off the radar of human resources departments.

Even if a company had the intention of going beyond just worrying about having a truck in a timely manner, the context clearly hinders any initiatives that aim to provide containment and support to the human resource that drives it.

However, the time has come to put this issue on the table since, as long as logistics continues to depend on human beings for its operation, there is an obligation (need) to creatively and proactively address this problem.putting the driving human being in the center, with the same effort that is put into the client.