Teamsters tell lawmakers mistreatment is fueling shortage of truckers, not a lack of drivers

Washington – The Teamsters say lawmakers must push companies to improve wages and working conditions for truck drivers as they seek solutions to upgrade the movement of goods across the country – instead of considering industry proposals like allowing teenagers to drive big rigs that would only endanger motorists nationwide.

In response to a hearing held Nov. 17 by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee looking at the state of the U.S. supply chain, the union is demanding that lawmakers consider the root of the problem – poor pay and treatment by trucking companies. The shipment of goods nationwide will continue to be hindered, the union says, until government addresses such things as the misclassification of drivers.

“Truckers continue to be taken for granted by big business even after all the work they did to keep America running during the most difficult days of the coronavirus pandemic,” Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa said. “Opening up the industry to inexperienced teenage drivers will allow companies to take advantage of them while also making traveling more unsafe.”