Trucking companies having trouble recruiting new drivers

A national shortage of truck drivers is going to cost -you- the consumer.

Drivers, and the longer it goes on the more it's going to cost the consumer.

Newschannel 2's kirk tupaj tells us how the trucking industry is being affected.

Erl intermodal is a local trucking company that imports and exports goods between upstate new york and the east coast ports of new york and new jersey.

They have a fleet of 50 trucks, but are having trouble finding drivers to operate them.

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None sot: george fanelli, erl intermodal sales manager there's a national and across the country driver shortage.

A lot of the older drivers have retired in the last year or so, and since december of 2020 the industry as a whole was down 80,000 drivers.

They offer a competitive wage, but the demand for drivers is being throttled by delays stemming from the pandemic.

Sot: george fanelli, erl intermodal sales manager some of the testing centers and driving schools have closed since the pandemic&.recently just started to reopen, so that's put a strain on getting new drivers in the door and getting them trained and tested.

Since there's not enough drivers to accommodate the volume of shipping needed, erl has cut back on services to the albany and binghamton areas.

Sot: george fanelli, erl intermodal sales manager we need to get drivers in the door.

What's happening in the ports in new york the bigger ships are coming in and they're sitting out docked for days, and when the product is coming off, and it's all coming off at the same time, so that puts a tight window for us to get that product picked up and brought up.

Tonight at six we'll explain why the cost of this shortage will eventually be carried down to the consumer.

In utica, i'm kirk tupajeporting fornewsc>