By Davis Kirby
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January 31, 2023
WACH in Columbia recently did a story on the need for truck drivers in South Carolina and nationwide. Truck drivers have been in high demand since the pandemic, which hit the trucking industry hard as COVID-19 spread across the state and nation. Grocery stores took longer to be restocked, fuel prices spiked, and even clothing stores fell behind on stocking shelves. With a lack of drivers, it led to a lack of supplies. The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV) is doing their part to see fill current vacancies. The agency hosted CDL day earlier this month, and state officials say they hope it makes a difference. From the WACH piece: "This is one way to demonstrate that we're on that way to be more accessible and be more truck friendly," said Kevin Shwedo, Executive Director SCDMV. The American Trucking Association says there are more than 80,000 open positions nationwide and between 2,000 - 3,000 thousand truck driver vacancies in South Carolina. Drivers can make an average yearly salary about $60,000. ”Once the economic started to come back, we were just covered up with demand. Everyone was catching up and freight was flowing again. But we don’t have enough drivers, and we still don’t have enough trucks," Rick Todd, President of the SC Trucking Association told WACH.