To say the transportation industry has been hit hard by this year’s labor shortage is a bit like saying Elon Musk is slightly eccentric. Earlier this year, The American Trucking Associations (ATA) estimated the national truck driver shortage will hit a historic high of roughly 80,000 drivers, with retiring drivers accounting for about 54% of vacancies. If nothing changes, this shortfall could reach 160,000 by 2030.
In a competitive labor market, fleets that welcome under-represented groups can gain a competitive advantage.
- According to the U.S. Census, the population of truck drivers 35 and younger includes more women and Latinos compared to the population 55 and older
- Freight Waves reports: the number of Latino drivers in the 25-34 age bracket is more than half of the number of white drivers
While many Latinos and Latinas speak English fluently, it doesn’t hurt to offer bilingual training for new hires who have learned English as a second language. More than 41 million people in the United States speak Spanish at home (about 13% of the population).
According to Forbes, the U.S. has the second-largest population of Spanish speakers in the world (Mexico is number one) and predicts, by 2050, one in three people living in the U.S. will speak Spanish (including bilingual people who also speak English). If you don’t already have drivers who speak Spanish as their primary language, there’s a good chance you will hire (and need to provide training for) Spanish speakers.
Isn’t English a CDL Requirement?
In support of Section 391.11(b)(2) of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, all diagrams and quizzes are in English. Current FMCSRs require commercial drivers to know English: sufficiently to communicate with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries and to make entries on reports and records.
For safety reasons (not to mention diversity and inclusion), it’s important that your company provides training to new drivers who speak both Spanish and English. To support the current and future needs of trucking and delivery fleets, we offer our most popular online courses en Español. Fleets can tap into more than a dozen essential safety training courses in Spanish including:
| 5 Steps to Injury Prevention
Accident Procedures Avoiding Fixed Objects Backing and Docking Box Cutting Coupling Uncoupling COVID-19 Masks — Slow the Spread COVID-19 What Drivers Need to Know Defensive Driving Driver Distractions Driver Qualifications Driver Wellness Fatigue Management Hazard Awareness Heat Illness Hours of Service Lane Changes and Intersections |
Pallet Jacks
An Approach to Safe Driving (CDL Drivers) Distractions (CDL Drivers) Effective Communication (CDL Drivers) Essential Planning (CDL Drivers) Evaluating Space (CDL Drivers) Fatigue Management (CDL Drivers) Navigating Hazards (CDL Drivers) Speed Management (CDL Drivers) Roadside Inspections Safe Lifting Slips, Trips and Falls Space Management Speed Management Truckers Against Trafficking Vehicle Inspections Whistleblower Protection |
Training participants can activate Spanish subtitles by clicking the CC button in the bottom right corner of the screen. It’s convenient for drivers who would like extra help understanding the material, and it means you don’t have to decide who gets lessons in English vs. Spanish.
>> Browse Driver Training Courses with Subtitles <<
Mastery-Based Training Defuses Nuclear Verdicts
Our Mastery-based training guarantees drivers understand the material — and sets SambaSafety apart from the competition. Each lesson includes periodic quizzes drivers must pass in order to move on.
Our competitors allow drivers to fast-forward through the material and pass quizzes using “multiple guess.” That’s not mastery-based training, and you can bet the plaintiff’s attorney will hammer you for it.
Mastery-based training isn’t the only thing that sets SambaSafety training apart from the competition. An easy-to-use LMS, engaging 3D videos and training proven to reduce incidents and improve MPG are just a few of the reasons to choose SambaSafety training. Schedule a free customized demo to learn more.
If you enjoyed this article, we recommend the following:
12 Essential Safety Training Topics for Trucking Fleets
Implementing Safety Training for Employees? Ask These 3 Questions
Why You Should Never Buy Driver Training You Haven’t Seen First-Hand