GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Ever since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, northeast Wisconsin has had a supply chain crisis due to a lack of workers.
Representative Mike Gallagher visited Schneider Trucking’s Driver Training Center for a roundtable discussion on the ongoing supply chain crisis, where he highlighted a various number of issues.
The roundtable consisted of representatives from Schneider, WEL Companies, and Veriha, along with truck drivers and students training to become truck drivers.
Gallagher first touched on how the lack of drivers continues to hurt the supply chain industry. In 2021, American trucking companies experienced a record deficit of nearly 80,000 drivers due to hiring and retention challenges.
“It’s really hard to overstate the pressure the industry is feeling because of the lack of drivers. Obviously, this problem manifested itself in every industry. People are struggling to find workers that they can keep and that will show up to work but it’s particularly pronounced in this industry. Given how critical this industry is to the overall health of our economical environment in northeast Wisconsin, it’s a problem that needs to be solved in a nonpartisan way,” said Gallagher.
The education system was also a key topic during this roundtable. The members talked about how officials have oversaturated the idea of every high school student should go to college when they can make a good living working other jobs such as being a truck driver.
“Our state and local legislatures really need to take a look at our K-12 system and figure out how do we send the message to students that there are other options available besides a four-year college. There are plenty of careers where you can make a really good living while still chipping away at college if that is what you want to do,” explained Gallagher.
Finally, Gallagher and the roundtable discussed the Strengthening Supply Chains Through Truck Driver Incentives Act, which is aimed at helping address the driver shortage by providing truck drivers with a refundable tax credit.
“Trucking is a huge part of our economy in northeast Wisconsin. We have a couple of world-leading companies in northeast Wisconsin. This is something that is targeted, it’s focused, it’s bipartisan. Something that we can actually get done in a divided Congress,” he concluded.
Gallagher continued by addressing the issue of how certain programs have also incentivized Wisconsinites to not work due to the ongoing pandemic.
“We need to change direction. We need to stop paying people not to work. We need to celebrate and incentivize hard work. That’s who we are as citizens of northeast Wisconsin.”
