We promote the fact we can get our students a good job. It almost sounds too good to be true with a lousy economy but it is the truth.
Two years ago (fall of 2006) the economy was still booming. Trucking companies could not find enough drivers to fill all of their trucks. They had freight to move, they had trucks to haul the freight, but they COULD NOT find enough drivers. One of the reasons for the shortage of drivers is you have to have a good driving record and so many people have recent DWIs on their records. So the trucking companies hired owner operators to haul the freight they could not haul with their own trucks since they could not find enough drivers.
Now that the economy has slowed down, the amount of freight going down the highway has slowed, BUT, not as much as you might think. Fewer new cars are being sold so that part of the industry has slowed considerably. But people still have to eat. They may not be eating in a restaurant so they need to buy more food at the grocery store. So, there is still just as much produce being hauled, just as much meat, just as much bread, it is all just going to the grocery store instead of to the restaurant. And there is just as much toilet paper being hauled, the same about of laundry soap, and most other consumer goods.
The only difference for the trucking industry is now the major companies do not need the independent owner operators to pick up the extra freight that they used to. The major companies still need reliable drivers to haul freight all across the county.
And when the economy does come back, there will be even greater demand for truck drivers. This is one profession that will never be outsourced to India!!!!!
