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Stories Tagged as

Trucking industry

Immigrants help fill gaps in trucking workforce

by Elizabeth Trovall
Mar 6, 2023
Trucking is an increasingly immigrant-driven industry as U.S.-born drivers retire and demand to move freight remains high.
Like many trades, trucking doesn’t attract U.S.-born workers like it used to. The hours are long, and the median pay is around $48,000 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  
The Palmer/Getty Images
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Truckers block Oakland port to protest a California labor law

by Meghan McCarty Carino
Jul 22, 2022
It's one more thing for a supply chain under unprecedented pressure.
Frustrated truckers obstruct the Port of Oakland on Thursday, piling another burden onto the supply chain.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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More supply chain woes likely when China eases its COVID lockdowns

by Justin Ho
Apr 18, 2022
Goods sitting idle in warehouses or containers will head to the U.S., though many companies have adapted to shortages.
China's most recent lockdowns have reduced shipments and eased the stress on tight supply chains, but sooner or later, high volumes of goods will flow again.
Dale De La Rey/AFP via Getty Images
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There's more free capacity on trucks. That means supply chains may be loosening.

by Justin Ho
Apr 15, 2022
Fewer goods coming from China during its lockdown and more trucking companies have helped.
China's recent lockdowns of ports and manufacturing hubs have slowed imports to the U.S., giving the supply chain a chance to catch up.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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COVID-19

The drivers of this economy: Long-haul trucking in the pandemic

by Kai Ryssdal and Alli Fam
Jan 25, 2021
Back in the spring, state transportation departments closed highway rest stops. And that put a strain on drivers.
Many independent truck drivers are starting to see lower rates and increased fuel costs, says Lewie Pugh, Executive Vice President of the Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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How trucking offers clues about where the economy’s headed

by Justin Ho
Aug 28, 2020
Trucking volume offers a glimpse into consumer demand today, and what that demand might look like down the road.
Container trucks arrive at the Port of Los Angeles. Import transportation companies are doing better than most during COVID-19.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

There's already a shortage of big-rig truck drivers, and the pandemic may make it worse

by Jasmine Garsd
Apr 10, 2020
Many DMVs and driver-training schools are closed, making it impossible for new drivers to get behind the wheel.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has only made it harder to fill a truck driver shortage.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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Amid a record driver shortage, Indian-American Sikhs are taking to trucking

by Maggie Mullen
Mar 7, 2019
In the last two years, one demographic has been gravitating towards the trucking industry by the thousands: Indian-American Sikhs.
Mintu Pandher sits inside the cab of his rig at the truck stop he bought a few years ago in southeastern Wyoming. He joined the industry because it was a blue-collar job that didn’t interfere with his Sikh beliefs and traditions. 
Maggie Mullen/Marketplace
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Tesla unveils an electric truck, but will it catch on?

by Aaron Schrank
Nov 17, 2017
CEO Elon Musk said the new electric Tesla trucks will have a range of about 300 miles. But truckers may not want to pay for the cleaner ride. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 
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Skill shortages hamper fracking operations

by Marketplace Contributor
Jul 17, 2017
Oil prices are recovering. Oil companies are expanding their U.S. operations. But a skilled worker shortage is not helping.
A billboard off Interstate 25 in southeastern Wyoming.
Dan Boyce/ for Marketplace
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