“There’s definitely not a truck shortage; there’s just a truck driver shortage,” says Jeff Landrum, a 25-year veteran truck driver who runs Landrum Transport in Lineville, Iowa.

Landrum says driving a truck is good money, but it is not a glamorous life and it’s a lot of alone time. The need for truck drivers continues to be seen in all sectors, including agriculture. A benefit for farmers in Iowa is they don’t need to have a commercial driver’s license to drive their own commodities, but they do need a CDL if they drive for someone else. 

Back in the late 1990s when Landrum started driving a truck, he first completed a written test and then a driving test. The latter included examining the truck to check for problems with brakes, leads or cracks.  

Nonstop regulations

Landrum and other truckers in Iowa need an International Fuel Tax Agreement and a current CDL through the Iowa Department of Transportation. The CDL requires several written and driving tests, plus health physicals. If hauling hazardous materials, the driver has to take a hazmat test and undergo a federal background check.

The three different types of CDLs take different training and testing:

PROS AND CONS: Despite the regulations, trucking offers a solid income and a lot of job diversity. “Something new every day,” Landrum says.

A driver with a CDL can also use it to drive passenger vehicles, but not motorcycles. The cost is $1,500 to $3,000 to license a semitruck and get the fuel and tax identification, which depends on the truck and the person.

If staying within the state, an intrastate license is purchased. To travel across state lines, an interstate license must be purchased. According to Landrum, some states, like New Mexico, also want drivers to purchase a permit each time they enter the state.

Federal Tax Form 2290 must be filed when driving a semitruck to pay the appropriate taxes. Fuel gallons and miles must be logged for each state, and a formula is used to determine how much fuel is used within a state.

“If you buy your fuel in Iowa, but drive those miles in Missouri, for example, then Missouri is owed a certain amount,” he explains.

Options for drivers

Landrum says if a person is willing to drive the long miles, several companies are looking to hire and can offer a good salary.

“I’m not sure I’d take this route of a career again, but it’s all I know. And as long as the other people on the road respect the trucks, it’s not a bad thing to do,” he says.

He owns his own semitruck and mostly hauls cattle, grain and hay, getting paid per load. He must carry the needed insurance based on what is being hauled and is in contact with his insurance provider often.

Contract drivers are also hired to drive for companies. In the past, he has driven his truck with other owner’s trailers. This also requires a special type of insurance on the non-owned trailer based on the value of the trailer and the value of the cargo.

If Landrum chose to lease his truck to another company, that company’s insurance would cover the vehicle. He also would drive under their transportation numbers, but would have to have a sign on the truck signifying who it is leased to.

CROWDED: “The most stressful part is dealing with the other people on the road. There are a lot more people on the road than there used to be,” Landrum says.

“Driving a truck takes a lot of paperwork and following rules and regulations. The most stressful part is dealing with the other people on the road. There are a lot more people on the road than there used to be,” Landrum says. “I think every 16-year-old who is getting a license should spend a day or even a couple hours riding in a semi to realize what they should be aware of when driving.”

Even with all the regulations, he says it’s hard to find a job where you can make $6,000 to $10,000 per week, and have something new every day.

Money for community college training

Gov. Kim Reynolds awarded more than $4.8 million last fall to 10 community colleges in Iowa to help boost licensing of commercial drivers.

The funding will build the infrastructure needed for CDL programs, such as new equipment, and creating or remodeling driver training facilities. This investment will support an estimated total increase of 1,305 program participants annually.