Reeling Economy in Texas

The Texas economy is reeling. And as the following release notes, the one-two punch of falling oil prices and a pandemic-stressed economy is prompting workers in Texas to reassess their options. In the following release, Roadmaster Drivers School suggests that those workers may find opportunities out on the highway. – ED.

The commercial trucking industry continues to grow in San Antonio despite the Covid crisis. The industry currently faces a shortage of more than 50,000 drivers. The need for shipping and freight only continues to grow as e-commerce continues to take over the retail market.

Texas has continued to face high unemployment rates with an adjusted unemployment rate of 13% as of May. Oil industry workers represent one of the largest segments of Texans that are currently unemployed. A career in commercial truck driving can start after only 4 weeks of driver training and provide opportunity for a growing industry that will need as many as 160,000 drivers by 2028.

In San Antonio Texas, some seek a way out of the boom-and-bust oil biz.

• Texas is one of the places most vulnerable to economic disruption in 2020.
• The price of oil is down drastically from last year.
• In some Texas cities, nearly half the workforce depends on oil & gas.
• Meanwhile, the U.S. needs as many as 60,000 new truckers.
• This is skilled work, and it pays well.

Brad Ball, president of Roadmaster Driving School, says that one solution for jobless San Antonians may be the thriving—and personnel-hungry—trucking industry.

One student at Roadmaster’s San Antonio school, Michael Torres, recently got a new lease on life after COVID-19 put him out of work.

Torres was laid off from the oil industry, where his working hours, he said, were erratic and inconsistent. In fact, he appreciates that his future now will involve a steadier income to support his family. “After an open-road training, I will apply for a route that will allow me to spend more time at home,” he said.

“Trucking represents a wide-open pathway to good, stable employment, and it’s fast. The normal training time to earn a commercial drivers license is about four weeks. Many trucking companies will pay the cost of training a new hire, and some will even pay a salary during the training period.”– Ball