The shopping season in the run-up to the holidays is expected to be one of the biggest in recent years and that means commercial truck drivers will be busy delivering retail goods all across the country.
This also means truck carriers remain desperate to hire newly trained drivers to fill thousands of open routes across the country.
“As the economy continues its streak of slow, steady improvement, the National Retail Federation offered an upbeat forecast … for the upcoming holiday shopping season,” the Washington Post recently reported. “The trade association expects retail sales to increase 4.1 percent this November and December to $616.9 billion — much better than the 3.1 percent uptick seen last year.”
That kind of growth means retailers will be calling on commercial trucks to help deliver goods to restock shelves.
“Retailers could see a welcome boost in holiday shopping, giving some companies the shot in the arm they need after a volatile first half of the year and an uneventful summer,” NRF chief executive Matthew Shay said in a statement.
The expected increase in holiday shopping comes at a time when the overall economy has shown steady growth in recent months. The United State’s economy increased by 3.5 percent during the months of July, August and September – the third fiscal quarter of 2014 – due in large part to growth in business investments and export sales.
The U.S. Commerce Department reported the third quarter gain in October, which followed a period of growth in the second quarter of the year.
“Analysts believe the economy is maintaining momentum in the current quarter, with a big fall in gas prices expected to bolster consumer spending,” the Associated Press reported in October. “After the roller-coaster first- and second-quarter gyrations, the economy is poised to achieve consistently stronger growth for the rest of this year and all of 2015.”
The same Associated Press article reported that some economist are predicting a growth rate of 3 percent in 2015, which would be the largest increase since before the recession in 2005.
The recent economic growth was also due in part to increased consumer spending, which has a positive impact on the commercial truck industry as retailers rely on trucks to deliver goods to restock store shelves.
“For the third quarter, consumer spending grew at a solid 1.8 percent annual rate,” the Associated Press reported. “Consumer spending contributed 1.2 percentage points to growth in the third quarter. Another major contribution came from an 11 percent rise in export sales, far outpacing imports, which fell at a 1.7 rate. The smaller trade gap added 1.3 percentage points to growth in the third quarter.”
With recent and expected economic growth, now is a great time to consider a career as a commercial truck driver. Carriers across the country are facing an increased demand for shipping services and they are looking for more drivers to hit the road.
Commercial trucks play an important role in America’s economy. Unlike airplanes and trains, commercial trucks are flexible enough to take shipments to almost every corner of the country, which is why trucking has been one of the most in-demand industries, which means the demand for professionally trained truck drivers is also high across the country.
The commercial truck industry has been seeing rapid growth for the past few years and the future looks even brighter. Even before the economy began to show signs of improvement, the commercial trucking industry was already growing. Now that sectors like manufacturing and construction are starting to slowly grow, the truck industry is experiencing even more growth. The growth in the commercial trucking industry is causing many truck carriers to hire thousands of new drivers every month, but it is professionally trained drivers who are in the highest demand by carriers desperate to find more drivers. As regulations increase and safety becomes even more important, carriers want drivers with relevant training and experience, including those from schools like Hamrick.
If you are looking to launch a long-term career in the trucking industry, there has never been a better time to start. As the economy continues to grow and the holiday shopping season increases demand for shipping services, thousands of more CDL trained truck drivers will be needed to meet the growing demand.