美国国家公共电台 NPR Facing A Critical Shortage Of Drivers, The Trucking Industry Is Changing

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Most of the stuff around us right now - I don't know - the television screens and microphones in the studio, products in your house, parts of every car, parts of almost every building, were once transported by truck. And the system that moves all that freight has a fundamental problem. There are not enough drivers. Trucking companies say an acute shortage is causing delays and driving up consumer prices. Frank Morris of our member station KCUR has the first of two stories.

UNIDENTIFIED INSTRUCTOR¹: John, we just need you to back this truck up in a straight line. And remember...

FRANK MORRIS, BYLINE²: On a parking lot in Springfield, Mo., marked with orange traffic cones³, John Bounds is changing career lanes, learning to drive a semi truck. A mouse click at home in Georgia landed Bounds behind the wheel of this big rig.

JOHN BOUNDS: I clicked on Wil-Tran (ph). And it wasn't a couple days later they called me back, got in touch with me, you know, made it really easy for me to choose this company.

MORRIS: Wil-Trans courted Bounds, 43-year-old meat cutter with zero trucking experience, like a star athlete for a job that starts above $40,000 a year because as fellow students like Jessy Dager, 21-year-old in Philadelphia, know, this industry is desperate for drivers.

JESSY DAGER: I like this company a lot, so I'm not going to say I'm not going to be here. But if I wanted to go somewhere else, there's a plethora⁴ of places I could go and get a job almost anywhere in the country.

MORRIS: The trucking industry's been short of drivers for decades, but the problem keeps getting worse. A big run-up in shipping⁵ demand, baby boomer retirements⁷ and a staggering turnover⁸ rate have left trucking companies unable to fill some 60,000 jobs. T.J. O'Connor, president of YRC Freight, says that's forcing them to turn down lucrative⁹ business.

TJ O'CONNOR: Well, I think as an industry, we need to be more creative and resourceful to attract and retain top-notch people that are very safety-focused, that have an interest and understand what they're getting into.

MORRIS: Of course, money is part of the solution. Some companies are offering signing bonuses, referral bonuses, longevity¹⁰ bonuses, paid time off, retirement⁶ plans and health care. Last year, average trucker income spiked¹¹ to around $60,000.

LORI FURNELL: Pay has gone up tremendously. And in some cases, you know, you're talking 10, 11 percent.

MORRIS: Lori Furnell is director of talent acquisition for Walmart's huge trucking fleet. They've got 900 openings.

FURNELL: Our first-year drivers with Walmart will average about 87.5 this year.

MORRIS: Eighty-seven thousand, five hundred dollars with good benefits. And like some other trucking firms, Walmart's also offering drivers nearly free online college tuition. But Walmart only hires experienced drivers with sterling¹² safety records. Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, says average driver income slumped¹³ for decades before last year's boost.

TODD SPENCER: The only real shortage is - it's a pay shortage (laughter), so that's the shortage. Even the crappiest job will attract workers and keep them if they pay enough.

MORRIS: Most long-haul truckers don't get a salary or even an hourly wage. They get paid by the mile. It's been that way since the 1930s, partly as an incentive¹⁴ for drivers hauling unrefrigerated food to move it as fast as possible. Drivers liked it. They made more that way. Now the government enforces strict limits on the amount of time drivers can spend behind the wheel. Many face long delays in traffic and hold-ups loading and unloading that can eat up much of their driving time, all without pay.

SPENCER: You put in a whole lot of hours for the money you get.

MORRIS: The driver shortage in tight freight markets are making it more expensive for shippers to waste drivers' time. Companies are trying to structure routes to give drivers more predictable pay and schedules. But all that isn't enough to fix the driver shortage. And companies are working hard to broaden the appeal of trucking. For NPR News, I'm Frank Morris in Kansas City.

(SOUNDBITE OF ...OF SINKING SHIPS' "IT NEVER MATTERED TO YOU")

1 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 cones   

n.（人眼）圆锥细胞；圆锥体( cone的名词复数 )；球果；圆锥形东西；（盛冰淇淋的）锥形蛋卷筒

参考例句：

• In the pines squirrels commonly chew off and drop entire cones. 松树上的松鼠通常咬掉和弄落整个球果。 来自辞典例句
• Many children would rather eat ice cream from cones than from dishes. 许多小孩喜欢吃蛋卷冰淇淋胜过盘装冰淇淋。 来自辞典例句

4 plethora   

n.过量，过剩

参考例句：

• Java comes with a plethora of ready-made types.Java配套提供了数量众多的现成类型。
• A plethora of new operators will be allowed to enter the market.大批新的运营商将获准进入该市场。

5 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

6 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

7 retirements   

退休( retirement的名词复数 )； 退职； 退役； 退休的实例

参考例句：

• We've had two retirements in our office this year. 今年我们办公室已有二人退休。
• Those may take the form of sackings redundancies, temporary layoffs or retirements. 这些形式有开除，作为编余人员，暂时解雇或退休。

8 turnover   

n.人员流动率，人事变动率；营业额，成交量

参考例句：

• The store greatly reduced the prices to make a quick turnover.这家商店实行大减价以迅速周转资金。
• Our turnover actually increased last year.去年我们的营业额竟然增加了。

9 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

10 longevity   

n.长命；长寿

参考例句：

• Good habits promote longevity.良好的习惯能增长寿命。
• Human longevity runs in families.人类的长寿具有家族遗传性。

11 spiked   

adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的

参考例句：

• The editor spiked the story. 编辑删去了这篇报道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They wondered whether their drinks had been spiked. 他们有些疑惑自己的饮料里是否被偷偷搀了烈性酒。 来自辞典例句

12 sterling   

adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
• Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。

13 slumped   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
• The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。

14 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。