Kim Richardson has been in the Transportation Industry for 34 years. Currently he is the President of Kim Richardson Transportation Specialists Inc. a family owned and operated business which has won multiple awards. Under the KRTS group of businesses is Transrep Inc. and The Rear View Mirror. Kim is currently on the board of directors for the Professional Truck Driver Institute (PTDI), on the board of directors with Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC), on the membership committee of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), on the advisory board of the Women’s Trucking federation of Canada (WTFC), and in the past, Chairman of the Board for the Truck Training Association of Ontario (TTSAO) and Chairman of the Board for the Allied Trade Division of the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA). Kim is a proud Husband, Dad, Grandpa and loves his community of Caledonia. He can be reached at krichardson@krway.com or phone 1-800-771-8171 ext. 201.

Columnists,Kim Richardson |
July 25, 2024

Is there a different approach to labor demand?

Recently I read, “Currently labor market pressures are easing, but we need to keep supporting the sector with targeted resources and programs to respond to anticipated long-term laborr challenges,” says Craig Faucette, Chief Program Officer, Trucking HR Canada. “Our labor market forecast for the road ahead to 2030 confirms that labor demand will continue to significantly outpace supply and we could see 40,400 vacancies in our sector.”

There needs to be a different approach and depending on who you talk to there are many opinions and recommendations.

The Professional Truck Training Alliance of Canada (PTTAC) believes there has never been a better time for the industry to embrace Red Seal apprenticeship for the Commercial Truck Operators in Canada. The Alberta government feels the same way announcing their plan to move forward. The last few months the PTTAC have invested time and energy meeting with industry and government. Round tables on Red Seal have all led to the same results in principle who were all in to support the movement for Red Seal. Round tables have been held in Manitoba, Regina and Saskatoon with more to be held in Ontario and Nova Scotia in the next couple months. The purpose of these meetings is to discuss the benefits and willingness of industry to embrace Red Seal along with the hurdles and potential negatives, if any, for the transportation industry. There are so many positives as to why we should be embracing this initiative.

Here are a few:

  • Attracting better talent
  • Retention will increase
  • Tailored training
  • Future proofing our workforce

In the end apprenticeship will provide your companies with the skilled workers for the much needed talent we need.

Back to the Trucking HR market forecast for a need for 40,000 vacancies in our sector. If we ensure employees have all the right education and are equipped with the skills they need, they will thrive in our industry long term.

Building a competitive workforce is no one’s responsibility but ours.

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Kim Richardson has been in the Transportation Industry for 34 years. Currently he is the President of Kim Richardson Transportation Specialists Inc. a family owned and operated business which has won multiple awards. Under the KRTS group of businesses is Transrep Inc. and The Rear View Mirror. Kim is currently on the board of directors for the Professional Truck Driver Institute (PTDI), on the board of directors with Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC), on the membership committee of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), on the advisory board of the Women’s Trucking federation of Canada (WTFC), and in the past, Chairman of the Board for the Truck Training Association of Ontario (TTSAO) and Chairman of the Board for the Allied Trade Division of the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA). Kim is a proud Husband, Dad, Grandpa and loves his community of Caledonia. He can be reached at krichardson@krway.com or phone 1-800-771-8171 ext. 201.