Truck Industry Wants Foreign Workers Not Americans to Address Driver Shortage

One of the kinks in the ongoing supply chain crisis is a shortage of truck drivers — industry experts say that about 80,000 more drivers are needed today, and that could increase to as many as 160,000 by 2030.

But instead of recruiting and training some of the 7.4 million unemployed Americans, the trucking industry may try to import drivers from abroad, using one of several work visas that allow the practice.

Forbes Magazine reported on the immigration angle:

According to the American Trucking Association, “To keep up with demand over the next decade, trucking will need to recruit nearly one million new drivers to close the gap caused by demand for freight, projected retirements and other issues.” Bob Costello, the Association’s chief economist recently said, “Increased demand for freight, pandemic-related challenges from early retirements, closed driving schools and DMVs, and other pressures are really pushing up demand for drivers and subsequently the shortage.”

“The industry is raising pay at five times the historic average, but this isn’t just a pay issue. We have an aging workforce, a workforce that is overwhelmingly male and finding ways to address those issues is key to narrowing the shortage,” says Costello. He adds that this is one of the few careers in America with a path to a middle class lifestyle that doesn’t require a college degree, yet it faces the shortfalls identified.

The federal government offers three kinds of work visas for this scenario:

H-2B — Employers can hire foreign truckers “on a temporary basis for up to 12 months and can apply to extend the H2B work visa if the need persists for up to 3 years. The H2B visa can only fill a temporary need such as a one-time occurrence, seasonal need, peak load need or intermittent need. After getting the labor certification approval, the U.S. employer has to submit a petition with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).”

EB-3 — The EB-3 immigrant visa category enables U.S. employers to hire unskilled foreign truckers in a permanent capacity. “The EB-3 is a more lengthy and costly process than the H2-B, but has the advantage of solving the driver shortage on a more permanent basis,” per Forbes.

E-2 — Foreign individuals who want to start a trucking business in the United States could be able to obtain an E-2 visa. 

“The foundation for such a work visa would be an investment treaty signed between the U.S. and the trucker’s home country, such as Mexico or Canada,” Forbes reported. “The E-2 visa is granted if the trucker has made a substantial investment in the trucker’s rig and transferred the ownership of the rig to the trucker’s U.S. company created for that purpose.”

No mention of the U.S. unemployment rate or how bringing in foreign workers could harm American workers is included in the Forbes report.

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