Tom Bickel, CPC Logistics’ director of sales and marketing, was on KMOX, a St. Louis news and talk radio station, on April 19, 2022, to discuss the issues contributing to the nationwide truck driver shortage and strategies to combat it.
He spoke with hosts Charlie Brennan and Amy Marxkors about a variety of topics, including increased compensation for truck drivers, the benefits of local jobs that allow truck drivers to be home daily, increasing awareness about the profession, truck driver training, and attracting more people to the industry, including younger generations and those who left it during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There are a lot of ways we could bring people back into the trucking industry,” Bickel said in his interview. “During the pandemic, our industry lost a lot of people who decided it wasn’t worth all the trouble to drive a truck, so we think it would be wonderful if the federal government provided a tax break to drivers that would re-enter the driving ranks. Many of them went into another job, and we need them back, and this country needs them back.”
The group also took calls from current and retired truck drivers who shared challenges and some of the positive aspects of their jobs. During these conversations, Bickel brought up the need to acknowledge the important work drivers do.
“One of the things we’re doing to recognize some of our outstanding employees who have been on the road for over a million miles is this NASCAR event coming up in June,” Bickel said. “We’re having some of our National Private Truck Council All-Star Drivers come to St. Louis. They’re going to be introduced to the audience at the race, put up on the jumbotron and get to do a lap. It’s a way to recognize the patience and professionalism of some of these outstanding people.”
Listen to the full interview on the KMOX website. Truck drivers interested in working with CPC Logistics can use the company’s search tool to view a list of open positions by license type, job type and location.