Eye On The Future With Trucking U — Taking The Hire Road

The school year has just begun, but the job search is officially underway for college seniors nationwide. 

For those with ambition — and wanting to land a great job upon graduation — Trucking U might just be the ticket. This week's episode of Taking the Hire Road features Anna Faford, vice president of strategy for C&K Trucking, who details the many opportunities available to younger generations. She joins host Jeremy Reymer, founder and CEO of DriverReach.

Organized by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), Trucking U is designed to match trucking companies with talented students from the top business programs across the country. Each year, participants attend ATA's Management Conference & Exhibition, the trucking industry's largest conference, where students can mix and mingle with trucking's top hiring managers and executives.

"We're getting students into the field of trucking; it could also be in HR, marketing or dispatch, there's so many different areas that we're opening their eyes to. In terms of success, the more people that know about trucking and see how great of an opportunity it is, the better Trucking U has done."

Faford encourages students to spread the word about opportunities offered in the program. She said that many have used Trucking U to find internships, which have even resulted in full-time positions.

Twenty-somethings have become the prime target for the trucking industry as a whole because of labor shortages and a markedly aging workforce. The situation has only gotten worse since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and Faford said the problem has been especially concerning in the drayage sector. 

A job critical to America's ports and rail yards, drayage has seen a drop in drivers due to coronavirus, but is also being beaten by other more profitable sectors like long-haul trucking when the spot market is hot, Faford said.

"I'm certain most listeners have seen pictures off the coast of Los Angeles where all those ships are just sitting, waiting for containers to be unloaded," Faford said. "It just adds a level of complexity and challenge to the job that perhaps makes being a drayage driver a little more complicated, a little more challenging and maybe a little less enticing."

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