GrainsWest Spring 2020

Spring 2020 Grains West 28 We will do our best to absorb that as long as we can.” Insurance rates are high as well, points out Karie Dick. “We’re probably looking at $8,000 to $10,000 per year per truck for insurance this year, and then the carbon tax is on top of that,” she said. “But we’re not like a courier company that can just pass these costs on to customers. You drive around the country and see there is still crop in the field many places, you know farmers don’t have the cash flow either, so we do our best to hold the line on hauling rates.” KIDS IN THE HAUL While increasing costs appear to be a fact of life, perhaps a greater concern for the whole trucking industry is recruiting the next generation of drivers. And by all accounts, there is a shortage of young workers entering the industry as older truckers retire. Both Dick’s Trucking and Go-Fer Ag Services operate with a pool of drivers mostly in their 50s and 60s. While they close in on retirement, impediments for young drivers include recent regulation changes. As of March 1, 2019, new drivers must complete Mandatory Entry- FEATURE From left to right, Anders, Ingrid and AndrewScafe prepare for the day’s haul with driver Marcel Lehouillier. A shortage of drivers is a looming problem for the trucking industry.