BILLINGS — The trucking industry saw a shortage of around 78,000 drivers last year, prompting trucking schools, 160 Driving Academy in the Billings Heights, to open their doors.
With that shortage, the industry is trying into a population not traditionally known for driving long hauls.
“I read a statistic recently that said that it’s one-third of truck drivers that are women now,” said Edmond Kirby, branch manager of 160 Driving Academy on Tuesday.
Other challenges, however, are harder to overcome.
“I do see a shortage, and there’s a lot of people retiring,” said lead driving instructor Tracy Owens.
The academy opened in October 2022 at a crucial time.
“You see how inflation is right now. When it’s more difficult to get things transported, you can’t find people to transport things, it does exacerbate the issue,” Kirby said.
Owens said the pandemic didn’t help. She’s been in the industry for more than 30 years.
“And it didn’t help with they shut the ports down and everything. All the ships just piled up in the bay and they had to be in quarantine,” Owens said.
Chelsie Kimmel just graduated with her commercial driver's license from the academy back in January, where she got her CDL in just four weeks. She is one of nearly 30 to complete the program.
“I feel like COVID did play a part not only in the trucking industry but in the job force around the country,” said Kimmel.
Kimmel also thinks several other factors are to blame.
“I also feel that the tighter stipulations that are being put onto truck drivers has played a huge role in that,” Kimmel said.
Fortunately, academies like 160 are helping and so are rising salaries. Industry-wide, truck driver pay has gone up more than 10% each of the past two years in response to the worker shortage. According to Salary.com, the median wages for a truck driver in Montana is around $55,000. Some companies nationally are even now paying six-figure salaries.
It’s all good news at a time when new drivers are needed more than ever before.
“We do need a refreshment of new blood to come in and take up the mantle,” said Kirby.
