As part of the confirmation process, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Acting Administrator Robin Hutcheson on Wednesday faced multiple questions from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Hutcheson is up for the role of FMCSA Administrator but first had to answer questions from the committee on how she sees FMCSA's role in solving some of the challenges currently facing transportation, and driver recruiting and retention was a popular theme.
There are plenty of opportunities to find applicants, but that's going to take tapping new and different talent pools; namely Gen Z, women and military veterans.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that about 10% of all professional truck drivers in the U.S. today are veterans, and that is likely on the rise. Military veterans were identified by the Biden administration late last year as a vast pool of would-be employees that could help unkink the supply chain. Trucking has traditionally provided a soft landing spot for military retirees, and they are fairly sought after because veteran drivers generally have fewer safety violations than civilian drivers and bring a lot soft skills that are mostly unique to military veterans.
Chris Bell, onboarding manager for Bridgeview, Illinois-based Nova Lines, joins the 10-44 this week to talk about how his fleet attracts, keeps and recognizes the men and women behind the wheel that also served behind the lines.
