To Find More Truck Drivers, DOL Expands Registered Apprenticeships
In an effort to attract more people to become truck drivers, The U.S. Department of Labor on March 9 announced its partnership with the Trucking Alliance to join the administration’s 90-Day Trucking Apprenticeship Challenge.
The aim of the partnership is to expand Registered Apprenticeship programs in the trucking industry. The partnership’s focus on expanding these programs will enhance industry training and safety standards and improve job quality to recruit and retain truck drivers.
The programs will also be specifically tailored to increase outreach to underrepresented communities such as veterans, women, people with disabilities and people of color.
“So far, more than 250 organizations have engaged with this initiative and more than 70 employers have committed to developing and joining existing programs or have already launched new Registered Apprenticeship programs,” said Secretary Marty Walsh, in a statement.
The partnership aligns with the Biden-Harris administration’s Trucking Action Plan overseen by the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force, launched in June 2021. Co-chaired by the Secretaries of Commerce, Transportation and Agriculture, the task force was created to address near-term supply chain bottlenecks as the economy rapidly reopened following the administration’s historic vaccination and economic relief efforts.
“The Trucking Alliance is committed to making improvements in training and safety standards for truck drivers a priority and keep our supply chain moving responsibly,” said Maverick USA’s CEO Steve Williams, who serves as the Trucking Alliance’s president.
The department is placing a high level of importance on expanding RA in the trucking industry to build a sustainable pipeline of drivers with access to fair wages while learning skills, high job quality, and enhanced safety and training standards.
