Proposed program could help address truck driver shortage 

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – During the pandemic, while the rest of the world stopped, Nebraska truckers kept rolling. And in order for them to keep spinning their wheels, they need more people. The truck driver shortage continues, but a potential change in rules could help address the issue.

On any given day, you’re already sharing the roadway with young commercial drivers. But the Federal Government is looking to loosen some restrictions with those younger truck drivers in order to combat the shortages and get more drivers behind the wheel.

The trucking industry was facing a critical driver shortage before the pandemic, but now the situation has become a lot worse. Based on several studies, there are anywhere between 8,000 to 10,000 estimated jobs in Nebraska needing to be filled by people who have commercial driver’s licenses.

“Nebraska can not turn out that many drivers given the system as it exists today so we’re always looking for ways to address that, we’re always looking for ways to promote the trucking industry to people of every age of every kind of career placement,” Kent Grisham, the President of Nebraska Trucking Association, said.

Right now, the drivers under the age of 21 are not allowed to cross state lines with their trucks, and the freight that they’re hauling needs to be from within the state. But the Federal Government is looking to change that. A teenage apprenticeship program would allow those 18, 19, and 20-year-old’s to cross state lines and limit other rules to help with staff shortages.

“And what this apprenticeship program is meant to really do is demonstrate that they really are safe drivers, they really are well trained and highly tested,” Grisham said.

The Nebraska Trucking Association believes it would be beneficial but would take time to be beneficial.

“It’s going to take some time for those cultural things to happen, for the regulatory things to happen. It won’t fix our driver shortage overnight, but it’s one more step, one more strategy of being able to get more professional drivers on the road,” Grisham said.

The program is currently in the review process at the federal level. The apprenticeship has been in the works for a long time but the association is anticipating that it will be enacted soon.

For the first time in years, the Nebraska Trucking Association will be at the Nebraska State Fair this summer with driving simulators and trucks to get more people behind the wheel.