New study shows U.S. is facing truck driver shortage

SACRAMENTO - You see them all over Sacramento, big rigs on their way to deliver everything from gas for your car to that holiday Amazon package. But a new study out shows the country is facing a truck driver shortage.

You may not be able to tell, but America is in desperate need of truckers.

"Right now, we're in a shortage of 80,000 truck drivers and if we're going to keep going down the same trajectory, by the year 2030, it's expected to be 160,000," said Haley Fenton of Western Pacific Truck School.

Fenton handles admissions at Western Pacific Trucking School, which has an office in Sacramento. She says corporations need drivers so badly that the starting pay is close to six figures at some companies.

"So it can start anywhere from $90,000 and up a year," Fenton said. "It just depends on where you go."

At their school, full-time classes take four weeks. It involves a mixture of classroom and time on the road. She says once you're done, finding a job won't be hard.

Dom: Let me get this straight. I don't have a college degree, I can go to school for four weeks and potentially walk into a job making $90k a year.

Fenton: Yes.

So why aren't more people doing it? 

Fenton thinks there are a few factors at play. One is a misconception about the job.

"I feel like truck drivers get a bad rap," Fenton added. "Like, 'Oh, they're just sitting in the truck doing nothing.' But in fact, truck drivers are the backbone of the company."

And she does admit, depending on the company, truckers might be away from home for long stretches. Like any job, there are pros and cons.

"They really need to think about, is this actually something you're going to want to do," she said.

Fenton says enrollment in their school can cost anywhere from $6,000 to $7,500 and financing is available.