Johnston Community College trains truck drivers as shortage threatens supply chain

The demand for truck drivers is soaring as North Carolina rebounds from the pandemic. The industry is short 60,000 drivers nationwide.

”I think the respect for the profession has increased over the past year as people realize stores were not able to replenish basic goods,” said John Freer, the school’s lead instructor.

John Hill is following in his father’s footsteps to become a driver. The Army Staff Sergeant is stationed at Fort Bragg. He’s transitioning out of the military into a new career behind the wheel of a big rig.

“It’s an opportunity, it’s a career, it’s a job – something that’s never going to go away,” said Hill.

The program is slowly building back up its class sizes after shutting down for 75 days early in the pandemic. It’s only at about a third of pre-COVID capacity. At the same time, the supply chain is rebounding.

”Truck drivers bring it through the back door and when I walk in through the front door and don’t see it, you recognize inventory is not being replenished as quickly because there’s a lack of drivers to move the number of loads available,” said Freer.

The Association says 86% of communities in the state depend exclusively on trucks to move goods. Collins tells WRAL News the Association is trying to get funding from the General Assembly to buy equipment and increase class sizes at community college driver training programs. It is also working to encourage retired drivers to become instructors.

“The demographics are working against us. As retirements are taking place, we’re not seeing the same number of new entrants into our industry,” said Collins.

The school at JCC is registering students for the next driver training class which will begin in late June.