Retired Prairie Farmer advertising executive Jeff Smith is planning to add a new job to his resume: commercial truck driver.

Smith’s “career change” is a microcosm of a growing problem — a worsening shortage of farm employees with a commercial driver’s license. The American Trucking Association estimates that a nationwide trucker shortage of 80,000 today could top 160,000 by 2030, as aging drivers retire and fewer young people step into their cabs.

Smith, who has been doing seasonal work for Decatur, Ill., farmer Marc Padrutt, volunteered when one of Padrutt’s drivers retired and left him stranded last fall.

“I said to Marc, I’d be a more valuable asset to you if I got a CDL [commercial driver’s license],” Smith recalls. “I asked if he would put me through the local community college program, and he said yes.”

For farmers like Padrutt, the scramble for employees is tough year-round, but it really surfaces at harvest.

“Finding dependable people who can show up and pass a drug test has been a frustration,” Padrutt says. “Every ag position is looking for skilled people, and they just can’t find them.”

Padrutt and his wife, Loes, struggled to find a replacement driver, putting up want ads and working through a placement service. One person was set up for an interview and never showed. He got a second chance, but then texted Padrutt in the dead of night telling him he was no longer interested.

A few miles away in Warrensburg, Ill., Mike Timmons echoes Padrutt’s frustrations. His eight-semitruck hauling firm serves both his own corn and soybean farm as well as local ag cooperatives.

“We’ve got four older guys we can count on. They show up every day,” Timmons says. “I’ve had younger ones, but they don’t want to put the hours in that it takes for farming, so they move on.

“Our drivers are aging out, and we’re getting stuck. The main reason I try to keep drivers employed year-round is because farmers can’t find drivers in the fall. Another local farmer I know has three or four South Africans on H-2A work visas driving trucks. I may have to do the same, but I really don’t want to.”

No easy solution

The problem appears to have no easy solution. For grain farms, driving semitrucks is seasonal, which may not appeal to people who need full-time employment. Timmons says a local Walmart pays over $90,000 per year for drivers, about a third more than the wages he traditionally offers. He knows he may have to pay more and add in free insurance coverage.

“We train drivers, and they work three or four years and go to better jobs,” he says. “We can pay the $6,000 to help them get their license and ask them to sign a long-term contract, but it would be hard to enforce.”

The pandemic caused some drivers to leave the industry, and they were not replaced. The ATA says other factors have led to the shortage:

Nick Gorenz, the CDL program coordinator at Richland Community College in Decatur, says those who want a CDL can take a three-weekday course or five-weeknight course. Students have to pass the permit theory course first with an 80% grade. Then the students take a “behind the wheel” course; that takes 22 days for the day course or 40 days for the night course.

“We have to judge them proficient in all the skills the FMCSA [Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association] set forth, and then they take the test,” Gorenz says.

A Class A CDL is required to operate any combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 or more pounds, provided the towed vehicle is heavier than 10,000 pounds. To get a Class A CDL at Richland Community College costs $4,365.

“I come from a farm family from DeKalb and feel for the farmers every harvest,” Gorenz adds. “I have been trying to get more farmers on my advisory board so we can address ideas to help.”

Tips for truck drivers

Qualified semitruck drivers with a valid CDL are scarce. Keeping semitractors and trailers in tiptop shape and properly licensed is expensive. You know neighbors who skirt the edges of compliance. Should you stay off main highways and not worry, like them?

Before you yield to temptation, listen to Fred Whitford, director of Purdue Pesticide Programs. He developed expertise in understanding what it takes to operate big trucks safely and legally.

“Don’t push your luck,” Whitford says. “I’ve seen too many instances where someone’s luck ran out when they were hauling commercially on farm plates. Sometimes it’s just a fine or maybe your truck gets impounded.

“But too often it involves an accident where someone is seriously hurt or killed. Whether your driver is at fault or not, everything you have is at risk. Your equipment, your land — it all could be on the line. It’s why you see so many ads for ‘big truck lawyers’ that you probably can recite their names.”

Your lawyers and the plaintiff’s lawyers will want to see maintenance records. Are you doing proper maintenance? Are you keeping accurate records?

The bottom line comes down to risk. “How much risk are you willing to take?” Whitford asks. “There are ways to limit liability exposure. Understand requirements for trucks on the road and spend time with your insurance agent and accountant. Know where you stand before your trucks leave the farm.”

The bottom line

Here are key points to remember for anyone who wants to get a CDL:

State laws differ. Who needs a CDL? “That depends on state law,” Whitford says. “In some states, farmers and their drivers are exempt from CDLs if they or their employees haul grain, livestock or inputs for their farm operation.

“However, once they haul a neighbor’s grain for hire, they’re no longer exempt. All laws which apply to commercial truckers now apply to them, including needing a CDL, annual truck inspections and other records.”

Check with the department of transportation or state police motor carrier officers in your state, Whitford says. “Don’t rely on what a neighbor tells you as gospel,” he advises.

Federal laws apply. Under federal regulations, farmers hauling goods for their own farm operation across state lines staying within 150 miles of their farm are exempt from certain requirements, including CDLs, Whitford says.

Have a CDL? Keep it updated. Once you have a CDL, get the required physical every two years at a physician approved by the DOT, Whitford advises. Even though it’s not required, carry your CDL medical card with you.

Carry adequate liability insurance. Meeting with your insurance agent on a regular basis pays, Whitford says. Know and understand the limits of liability per accident. Choose options that you can afford, but that still provide adequate protection vs. assets at risk. Strongly consider carrying an umbrella policy for your farm.

Limit risk through business format. Your accountant or legal adviser can help you determine if it makes sense to place trucks in a separate entity, such as a limited liability company, so land and other assets aren’t at risk in case of an accident where your driver is determined at fault.

Know who you hire. “If you use a custom grain hauler, make sure they have a CDL and business insurance,” Whitford says. “In case of an accident, you could still be liable. Know what their insurance coverage is, and ask to be named on their policy.”