As the economy grows quickly, trucking companies are hiring drivers at a rapid clip. In last month alone, trucking fleets added 5,700 drivers. Jennifer Smith reports on the trend at The Wall Street Journal:
It is the fourth straight month of growth in a sector where employers have been buying more trucks and raising driver pay as they look to expand freight capacity.
Trucking companies have added 30,600 jobs since August 2017, the most since employment in the business grew by 37,400 jobs in the 12 months ending August 2015.
“You hear a lot from employers about how hard it is to hire in the sector, but when push comes to shove, they seem to be able to hire workers,” said Martha Gimbel, director of economic research at job-search site Indeed.com.
The broader transportation and warehousing sector was one of the fastest-growing in the U.S. economy last month, adding more than 20,000 positions, including strong hiring in transit and ground passenger operations. Courier and messenger firms added 3,800 positions in August, while warehouse operators added 2,400 jobs, extending steady gains that come as growing e-commerce sales spur demand for delivery drivers and workers who fulfill online orders.
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