Local truck driving school to host job fair to alleviate driver shortage

The United States does not have enough truck drivers.

The director at SAGE Truck Driving School in Blackfoot told KIDK Eyewitness News 3 anchor Todd Kunz there are currently 63,000 open truck driver jobs in the U.S. alone.

Jorgensen said there are two reasons for the shortage.

“The biggest challenge right now is, that those who are of the age of retirement are retiring and we just don’t have a lot of people to come in and take their place,” said Jorgensen.

The other reason, he said, is the economy is doing so well right now. There are plenty of other jobs available and no one is really looking for work. Jorgensen said the pay for trucking has increased from what it was years ago. Fourteen years ago, a brand new driver coming out of school could expect to make roughly $28,000 a year. Right now, they are averaging $42,000 to $45,000,” said Jorgensen.

And he added, the trucking equipment is not like it used to be with the increase in technology.

So because of the low supply of drivers, SAGE Truck Driving School is hosting a job fair Wednesday, June 27 with 16 trucking companies from southeast Idaho, all the way to Twin Falls, Jerome, and Gooding.

“We have some construction companies coming in. We have some local hauls, long hauls. And everybody is hiring. Right at the moment, we’re probably averaging somewhere between three to six or seven drivers needed from each company. So we have probably 80 positions for drivers to be filled,” said Jorgensen.

The job fair will be located at the Eastern Idaho State Fairgrounds in Blackfoot near the entrance on Oak Street where the carnival would normally be held. It runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. They are looking for a broad range of drivers. The jobs include full benefits with medical, retirement, holiday, and vacation. Even home time has increased. A driver is now out on the road about seven to 10 days instead of 21 to 30.

SAGE Truck Driving School in Blackfoot can be reached at 208-782-2282.