Consistently ranked as one of the top five issues in the trucking industry (ATRI study 2014, #2), the truck driver shortage has hit epic proportions with no end in sight. At Roberts Perryman, at least weekly, we hear concerns about enough drivers to move the loads echoed amongst our clients and friends in the industry. With hardly any good news to this end, there is a bit of a ray of light with the Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance grant. The grant is a nearly $2 billion, multi-year initiative. This grant is great news for individuals interested in attending a truck driving training course leading to obtaining a CDL.

The Mississippi River Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Consortium (MRTDL℠), led by Lewis and Clark Community College, consists of nine institutions spanning eight states along the Mississippi River Region: L&C in Godfrey, Illinois; Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi; John Wood Community College in Quincy, Illinois; Mid-South Community College in West Memphis, Arkansas; Minnesota State College – Southeast Technical in Winona, Minnesota; St. Louis Community College in Bridgeton, Missouri; Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis, Tennessee; West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah, Kentucky; and Delgado Community College in New Orleans, Louisiana.

There are varying levels of grant subsidies for students depending on the school and state. Additionally, each of the eight states has unique licensing and educational requirements for obtaining CDL licensure. Members of the MRTDL do not have the resources to assist in promoting their programs and increasing their enrollment and CDL eligible graduates. Several of the schools are partnering with trucking companies to recruit and graduate students. To this end, all of the member schools are looking for employer partnerships to increase student enrollment & placement, as well as build better programs to serve the needs of the industry.

Brett Reinert, of Lewis & Clark Community College in Illinois is heading up the consortium. Rene Dulle is directing the program in Missouri at St. Louis Community College in Missouri. Brett can be reached at breinert@lc.edu, 618-468-2700. Rene can be reached at rdulle4@stlcc.edu, 314-539-5296. For other states contacts and information please check out this website with other consortium members http://www.lc.edu/mrtdl/.

This is a great opportunity for trucking companies to get involved in helping the truck driver shortage as well as their own truck driver shortage!

For questions or inquiries please contact Jennifer Mason, jmason@robertsperryman.com, 314-421-1850

Roberts Perryman has been a leader in transportation defense for over 50 years with offices in St. Louis and Springfield, MO and Belleville, IL. http://www.robertsperryman.com