Job Seekers look to the Road for Work

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If the recession left you jobless, you were among the many thousands. Three years later, and the job market still isn't where we would like it to be. If you are in your forties and lack a degree, finding a job in this market is practically impossible. The job pool is inflated with many talented, experienced, overqualified and overeducated individuals looking to fill the same positions you are.

If your job hunt hasn't turned out any good leads yet, look to the road for the solution. According to a recent article by CNN's Chris Isidore, the U.S. trucking industry is hiring about 200,000 drivers this year. They are also expected to hire another 200,000 by the end of next year. There are many factors that led to the need for more drivers.

First, there is retirement. Truckers tend to be older, and this year there is an overwhelming number of truckers set to retire. A second factor is safety regulations. These regulations were implemented in order to eliminate drivers with bad records from US roads. The recession caused many companies to lay-off workers, but now that demand is growing again, these companies are re-hiring. Since 2008, the trucking industry lost a total of 150,000 jobs.

Even with unemployment rates as high as they are, Rosalyn Wilson of Penske Logistics believes it will be hard for the industry to fill positions. According to Wilson, people put quality of life ahead of job placement. Being a truck driver is demanding, and requires the employee to be away from home quite often. In 2009 the median pay for a truck driver was $37,730, but Wilson believes that number fell since the amount of miles required dropped. Wilson is still optimistic, and believes there will be a pay increase in the coming year as demand grows.