Final Actions of Biden’s Administration Impact Trucking Industry
As President Biden approaches the end of his term, his administration has taken steps that could significantly affect working-class Americans. A recent report from LandLine Magazine highlighted that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will grant an additional 70,000 H-2B visas for the upcoming year, effectively doubling the number issued in the previous year, where only 1,500 were allocated to transportation jobs like trucking. Although 130,000 visas might seem modest in a nation as large as the U.S., the severe decline in the trucking sector sheds light on how this move could be detrimental to truck drivers.
Concerns in the Trucking Sector
The state of the trucking industry has deteriorated significantly. The online publication FreightWaves dedicates a segment of its site to tracking trucking company bankruptcies and truck driver layoffs. A brief glance at 82 articles on layoffs from late 2024 reveals that over 4,000 truckers across the U.S. lost their jobs in October and November, with additional layoffs looming as companies seek bankruptcy protection. This figure excludes many self-employed truckers, whose business closures are even harder to document.
Rationale Behind Increased Visas
This raises the question of why DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas advocates for more visas for foreign truckers. In a November press release, Mayorkas stated, “There are employers across the country that would suffer greatly without H-2B workers. Authorizing these supplemental visas helps U.S. employers fill those positions… It helps fuel our economy and reduce irregular migration while also providing a safe and lawful pathway to the United States for noncitizens who are ready to work.” This clearly indicates his focus on the needs of employers.
Dismissing the Real Issue
Mayorkas may still subscribe to the debunked “driver shortage narrative” propagated by groups like the American Trucking Association. However, the real issue lies in a retention crisis, stemming from declining wages linked to industry deregulation initiated by another Democrat, Jimmy Carter, through the Motor Carrier Act of 1980. As a result, truck drivers today earn half of what they did in 1980.
The Impact of New Policies
This recent policy from the Biden administration represents a significant setback for truckers, reinforcing a cycle that suppresses wages. When faced with poor working conditions, the response has often been to import workers who may be less likely to voice concerns. The American trucking industry has increasingly come to rely on migrant labor rather than improving compensation and conditions for domestic workers.
Looking Forward to Change
As the Biden administration draws to a close, truckers are eager for change. A bill introduced in 2022 by former Congressman Andy Levin, titled the Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act, has stalled in committee. Although Democrats lost their majority after the midterms, President Biden could have prioritized this legislation, yet all that truckers received were more hurdles that keep wages stagnant. With many truckers welcoming the prospect of a Trump re-election, there is hope that he will prioritize American workers and potentially revoke the visas granted by Biden and Mayorkas, offering jobs to the many unemployed truckers ready to work.
Gord Magill is a trucker, writer, and commentator, and his insights can be found at www.autonomoustruckers.substack.com.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer.
