Showing posts with label Driver Shortage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Driver Shortage. Show all posts

Driver Shortage - Is History Repeating Itself?... Again?

Last year RV transporters were pulling out of yards with a units that had already been on the transport company's lot in the range of a month or more, especially if they were headed North across the border (see March 2010 RV Business article "RV Transporters Cope with Driver Shortage" where Classic Transport reported having a 6 week backlog).

All transporter companies were in about the same shape, plus or minus a couple of days, because the manufacturers were self regulating dispatches based on which transporter was the least number of days out in addition to which ones could get a hot unit delivered first.

If that sounds familiar, one only needs to look back to May of 2007 to an RV Business article outlining the same situation, but for different reasons according to the transport companies ("RV Transport Firms Encounter Driver Shortage").  In that article, the source stems from the tidal wave of new drivers to the industry in order to move the Katrina FEMA units (you all remember those don't you - money through the nose with DOT waivers for all applicable regulations... that may be a slight exaggeration, but you remember).

After the FEMA units dried up, there was the natural decline of the industry in the second half of the year which spread the units too thin across the over-abundance of drivers leaving many with only one option - get out of the RV transport business.

In 2007 the RV transport companies realized they were in the midst of an unexpected driver shortage, but not in time to affect change.  In addition to laying some blame on the inability to support a large enough base of drivers during the slow period, there was also the aspect of fuel costs.  The manufactures were slow to respond to the rising cost of fuel which resulted in the inability of drivers to operate profitably.

Driver Shortage - What Will it Mean for You?

The RV industry is showing signs of another year-over-year improvement with anticipated volume growth in 2011 (Wall Street Journal).  The final step in getting units to the dealers is just as important as any other when it comes right down to it.  If all else comes off without a hitch, RV transport companies do not want to be the bottleneck that breaks the system.

Looking at the transportation industry prognostications for 2011, I fear that is exactly what is going to happen.

Driver shortages are being predicted in the "truck driving" industry - generally referring to Heavy Duty