The Georgia Senate is about to tackle a persistent shortage of workers in one of the state’s key industries: commercial trucking.

A Senate study committee formed to find solutions to an inadequate supply of truck drivers will hold its first meeting this coming Wednesday. The shortage is being felt particularly in long-haul trucking. Many drivers have been lured away from the long-haul segment of the industry by the growth in e-commerce that accompanied the pandemic and has continued as Georgians become accustomed to the convenience and, like many other industries, commercial trucking is suffering from an aging workforce.

The technical college system has been working for the past decade to train young Georgians to replace those retiring truckers. In a 2013 initiative, then Governor Nathan Deal launched a plan to offer full tuition coverage through the HOPE Grant program for technical college students pursuing certain high-demand careers includes commercial truck driving.

Enrollment in the TCSG’s commercial trucking program increased by 24% during the last school year to more than 2,600 students.

GNN