Couples Fill Important Niche
Jim and Eva Sisler began traveling the country nearly 10 years ago, a couple of empty-nesters in their 50s with a desire to see new places and build some assets before retirement.
Driving from California to New Jersey in two days, using layovers to visit historic sites in the South or ethnic restaurants in Chicago, the Sislers pack in a lot. Back in Montana, they revel in the simple pleasures of home. It’s a nice change from life in an 18-wheel truck.
U.S. trucking companies want more people like the Sislers, to deal with what the companies fear will be a worsening shortage of long-haul drivers. The industry is launching an ad campaign for recruitment and is particularly interested in older couples, free of concerns about missed family time and perhaps looking to replace worn-out jobs with new ones before retirement. Putting two at the wheel helps business. The hours a truck legally can operate double and freight arrives sooner.
Reaching out to a larger segment of the labor force is critical to the future of an industry long reliant on men working solo, said Ray Kuntz, Watkins & Shepard chief executive and incoming chairman of the associations. The study found drivers cited time away from home and unpredictable schedules for getting home as reasons for quitting more often than money.
Photo by Associated Press.
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