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Young people aren’t lining up to be truck drivers even though the average annual salary is about $67,500, due to perceptions of the industry and work-life balance challenges for jobs that involve being away from home.

Only 3.5 per cent of truck drivers are women even though they make up 42.8 per cent of Canada’s overall workforce. On top of the work-life balance issues, women surveyed expressed concerns about safety at rest stops.

Nearly one-third (32 per cent) of truck drivers are 55 years old or older compared to 21 per cent of the overall labour force, according to Statistics Canada. The survey found that almost half of trucking employers are trying to retain older workers by offering more flexible work arrangements and better equipment, such as ergonomic seats, stairs on trailers and automatic transmissions.

But more work and fewer people to do it means more stress for the employees that do stick around.

While automation is expected to replace some drivers in the long-term, it’s not going to solve the labour shortage anytime soon, Splinter said, especially not if trucking companies have to turn down business and earn less money to invest in technology.

Her company is calling on the federal government to make training dollars available for the trucking industry so younger people can learn the trade. Training can cost up to $15,000, she said, making it difficult for trucking companies to compete for talent with other industries that have subsidized training.

“We’re competing for workers and we want to see a level playing field,” she said.

Financial Post

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