As Demand for US Truck Drivers Rise, Over 30,000 Indian-American Sikhs Enter Trucking Industry in Last Two Years
BOSTON—As the demand for truck drivers in the United States intensify, more than 30,000 Indian-American Sikhs have entered the trucking industry, according to CBS News.
“Even with unemployment at a nearly 49-year low, there is a record-high shortage of truck drivers,” according to CBS News. “This year, the turnover rate for truck drivers is 96 percent. More than 50,000 drivers are needed to meet the demand, and the shortage is forcing companies like Amazon, General Mills, Tyson Foods and others to hike up their prices to consumers.”
The CBS News said that more than 30,000 Sikhs have entered the trucking industry in the last two years.
“For Sikhs, they want to keep their articles of faith, turban, unshaven hair, beard, moustache — it’s a safety hazard for a lot of jobs that require it. So in trucking they can keep everything, and still make a decent living,” CBS News quoted Mintu Pandher as saying.
