Did Truck Transportation Jobs Rise In October
A row of transfer trucks
Truck transportation jobs continue to rise, which is good news for business owners and managers across the country. With such a dependence on time-critical logistics, it’s important that the trucking industry continues to grow and recover from the pandemic.
There Has Been a Sharp Uptick in Truck Transportation Jobs
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there has been a huge increase in transportation jobs in October. This is interesting, as many experts in the industry believed we would finally start to see a decrease in new jobs. The transportation sector added 13,200 new jobs in the month of October. This BLS report also revised the number of new jobs created in September, revising the total to 7,100.
October’s huge surge in jobs is the third largest in the history of BLS data going back to 2012. The two months ahead of October, both occurred earlier in the year. All this to say, the truck transportation industry is currently seeing an employment surge. This is nice to see as the transportation sector is recovering from the devastating pandemic.
How Many Truck Transportation Jobs Are There?
At the end of the report, the BLS estimated that transportation jobs currently stand at 1,601,100. This number is nearly 20,000 higher than the initial number that the BLS produced for September. The revision to September’s numbers means the total number of truck transportation didn’t actually decrease, which is what was previously believed.
There’s not a big difference between the number of jobs in October compared to the number of jobs in August, but the good news is, these numbers are still rising. It was previously believed that we would see the end of two-plus years of nearly unbroken increases in the size of the truck transportation workforce.
One Factor to Consider
Experts suggest a huge reason for the rise in employed drivers is rising diesel rates and other costs as well as falling rates. While mostly anecdotal, there is some evidence that because of these factors, many independent owner-operators are choosing to stay behind the wheel as employee drivers. Why would they do this? To put it simply, being an employee driver rather than an independent owner-operator means rising diesel prices and falling rates are someone else’s problems.
Drivers who are owner-operators do not show up in the BLS statistics but they do show up if they move behind the wheel as an employee. While it is likely that these drivers will revert back to being independent owner-operators once the price of diesel lowers, we can’t say that with 100% certainty. Considering the volatility of the market, it may be a while before diesel prices stabilize.
How Does This Affect Your Business?
If you are a business owner or manager who relies on time-critical logistics, you know how stressful the truck transportation industry can be. Fortunately for you, this is one of the few transportation industries that has been on the uptick lately. While factors such as weather, localized closings, and even traffic can determine whether or not you get your shipments on time, the rise in the truck transportation sector is a good sign that things should considerably improve.
On top of that, increases in truck transportation jobs could be a good omen for other transportation sectors. With the holiday season rapidly approaching, you need to be sure that your logistics arrive in a timely manner. Therefore, it’s cause for celebration that truck transportation jobs continue to rise.
Do You Need Help With Your Logistics?
If you’re too busy or too stressed to deal with the ups and downs of time-critical shipping, our team at Trifecta Transport is here to help. We can deal with your logistic needs so you can focus on running your business. Reach out to us today to find out what it is we can do for you and your needs!
