Job seekers are in luck when it comes to the commercial road transportation industry in British Columbia.
Trucking companies throughout B.C. require professional drivers, mechanics, dispatchers and operations staff right now, which means job seekers with experience and/or training may find work within their preferred region.
For those considering training prior to joining the workforce, demand for skilled workers in the industry is likely to grow – to 2020 and beyond.
There are a number of reasons for this. For truck drivers, the industry is facing a North America-wide shortage because most are 45 years of age or older and nearing retirement (in fact, in Canada, according to a report by the Canada Trucking Human Resources Council, 58 per cent of long-haul truck drivers fall in this age range).
“There is a shortage of truck drivers everywhere,” says South Cariboo Truckers Association president Don Jefferson of 100 Mile House.
“There aren’t too many young guys getting into it any more. Over the last two or three years a shortage of drivers has become very noticeable.”
Jefferson adds companies are always looking for qualified drivers with a Class 1 driver’s licence and air endorsement. He notes there is a lot of opportunity for owner-operators.
“There’s also lots of opportunity for work if you buy your own truck. The industry has lots of potential to offer good jobs.”
Aside from worker shortages, economic growth in the Asia-Pacific Gateway is also driving demand for workers in transportation. This applies not only to companies in the Lower Mainland, but in other regions as well, since the Asia-Pacific Gateway is actually made up of an integrated supply chain of airports, seaports, rail and road connections, and border crossings, from Prince Rupert to Surrey, with links supplied by trucking.
Today’s trucking industry is an exciting place to be. Equipment in many companies is state of the art, meaning increased comfort and ease for drivers and opportunities for mechanics to work with technologically advanced systems, keeping both their skills and interest engaged.
Dispatch relies on sophisticated tracking and routing systems. Others on the operations side also use information technology of many kinds to deal with everything from licences and permits, to customer services, accounting, sales and marketing.
People joining the industry have many career choices. Drivers, for example, may work close to home as pickup and delivery or short-haul drivers.
Those who like the idea of travelling across Canada or North America can become long-haul drivers for an employer or work as owner-operators. Drivers may haul consumer goods, fuel, logs, heavy-duty equipment, livestock – most of what we purchase or consume spent some time on the road with a commercial truck.
If you already have experience as a driver, mechanic or operations worker, most companies advertise jobs on their websites. Members of the BC Trucking Association from across the province may post jobs under Careers on www.bctrucking.com, and the provincial and federal governments maintain job sites at WorkBC (www.workbc.ca/Jobs/) and Working in Canada (www.workingincanada.gc.ca/ – choose to Explore Careers by Occupation, then by Region).
If you would like to enter the industry but need training, there are also many avenues to explore. Although there is not a standard training course for professional drivers, there are numerous private schools throughout B.C. that offer programs.
Ray Trenholm is a driver training instructor at Thompson Rivers University School of Trades & Technology in Kamloops.
He’s involved in delivering a new provincial government-funded program, which takes under-skilled workers and provides all of the training necessary for them to become licensed and ready to work as a logging truck driver, and it’s free of charge. Forest industry companies partner with the program to provide the hands-on training in a real work environment.
The program is nine weeks long and people are lining up to hire the graduates, he adds.
“We’ve got a list of companies from Fort Nelson to the Kootenays that are looking for drivers. We’re even getting calls from Alberta and Saskatchewan. There are lots of drivers retiring now and we need to fill the gap.”
For information on transportation trades in B.C., including mechanics and other technicians, visit transCDA (www.tcda.ca/home). For information on trucking careers in general, see www.truckingcareers.ca.
