From hand sanitizer and vaccines to groceries and toilet paper, truck drivers are trucking through the COVID-19 pandemic despite a historic labor shortage.
Many industries moved workers home during the start of the pandemic, but truckers worked “to meet the needs of this country.”
“The trucking industry has stepped up and delivered through this whole pandemic,” said Dale Bennett, who has served as president of the Virginia Trucking Association since 1989.
The VTA is a dues-paying membership organization that supports members and lobbies the General Assembly.
Bennett said the trucking industry is experiencing the worst labor shortage that he has ever seen. The American Trucking Association estimated that by the end of 2021 there will be a shortage of over 80,000 workers, and it will double by 2030. The exact shortage in Virginia is unclear, according to Bennett.
“That is the highest that it’s ever been,” he said. “The driver shortage may be as bad as I have seen it in my time here.”
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