Some good ideas from the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) regarding the driver shortage and driver retention issues facing the trucking industry. The CTA Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Driver Shortage States the Following:

● Truck drivers are our most important asset, the face of the industry -- to our customers and to the public … and they are deserving of respect.

● Truck drivers should have an improved ability to predict what their weekly pay is going to be; compensation packages need to be competitive with or better than alternative employment options and more transparent;

● Truck drivers should be paid for all the work that they do and earn enough to cover all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred while on the road for extended periods.

● (Drivers’) time at work should not be wasted -- at shipper/consignee premises, waiting for their trucks in the shop, or waiting for a response to a question of their carrier;

● (Drivers) should be able to rely on their carrier not to interfere with their personal time by (for example) calling them back to work early;

● Driver wellness should be a top priority for employers;

● A minimum standard of entry level, apprenticeship or apprenticeship-like truck driver training should be mandatory;

● Truck driving should be considered a skilled trade and be recognized as such by the various levels and branches of government, standards councils, etc., who certify such

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