LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Right now trucks are having an easy time driving in the snow. But storms headed to the northeast are packing more of a punch than these flurries which has all eyes at Calex Logistics Inc. in Yatesville on the radar.
"Effectively what that does is back us up for a day or back the stores up or the distributors. We typically go to distributors," explained Tommy Grimes.
Tommy Grimes is the Chief Operating Officer at Calex, he doesn't foresee this storm making conditions much different than they are now.
"Today if you go into a supermarket there's a lot of bare shelves. You know, we've already got a very serious supply chain issue and this will make it just a little bit worse," he added.
Grimes says he doesn't know what the exact solution is to the supply chain issue facing the United States right now, but he tells Newswatch 16 It could be helped largely in part by one change made at the federal level.
"On changing the law in that the age to be an interstate truck driver today it's 21. But I would say that at 18, I could be drafted I could go to war. I can go overseas put a machine gun in my hand," said Grimes. "But we can't put that same 18 year old in a truck to drive from here in Pennsylvania across the border into New Jersey, because it's illegal."
He said 18-year-olds are coming to his business eager to work and the new hire training program prioritizes safety and is proven to lower accidents among new drivers. You can drive a tractor trailer at age 18, but can't cross state lines.
Grimes says for his company it isn't worth hiring someone that age because of that rule. He thinks a change from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration would bring some relief.
"In our industry specifically, we were short drivers before COVID Hit. COVID Hit and now has put us even further behind. The projections are that there won't be enough of a workforce and maybe building workforce that to get us out of this before 2030 That's scary," said Grimes.
In the meantime, Calex will continue to try and attract as many drivers as possible until Grimes can make his case to someone at the federal level who will listen.
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