Maine Trucking Industry Launches Go. Your Way Campaign to Address Workforce Challenges

Encouraging Younger Generations to Join a Vital Industry and Live Life on Their Own Terms

The Maine Motor Transport Association (MMTA) announced today the launch of its workforce development initiative aimed at recruiting more Mainers to work in the state’s trucking industry. Currently, the industry anticipates it will need to fill thousands of driver positions, technician jobs, and other supporting roles in the next 10 years. The digital campaign called Go. Your Way will focus primarily on attracting Maine’s younger generation to the industry by educating and exciting them about the many high paying and essential career opportunities available while also proactively addressing some common misperceptions about the industry.

“A career in trucking is a great long-term option for individuals ready to get on the road to life–individuals who don’t necessarily want to follow the typical path of college loan debt followed by 40 years in an office cubicle,” said Brian Parke, President & CEO, MMTA.  “As many industry professionals get set to retire over the next decade, we’re excited to welcome younger individuals into a career in trucking as soon as today. What we want to communicate through this campaign, is that Maine trucking is truly for young mavericks who want to control their own destiny and work in an industry that will always keep them employed. There’s really something for everyone–from driving all over the country to working in operations.”

With the average student loan debt among borrowers being more than $32,000, the trucking industry provides a career path where drivers can make an annual salary of between $49k-$58k, with many owner operators making $80k or more. A career in trucking allows people from all walks of life to grow and flourish in a rewarding industry without a college degree. The Go. Your Way campaign focuses on meeting people where they’re at and providing options that fit the lifestyle they want to lead.

Trucking Industry Vital to Maine’s Economy
According to the American Trucking Associations, “trucks moved 11.49 billion tons of freight, [equivalent] to 71.4% of all domestic freight” in 2019 alone. In Maine, 84.4% of communities depend exclusively on trucks to move their goods. As of 2020, there were more than 5,300 trucking companies operating in Maine with total trucking industry wages exceeding $1.6 billion. Approximately one out of every 16 jobs in Maine is in the trucking industry; following national trends, many of these positions go overlooked or unfilled despite demand, assurance of steady work, high pay, and accessible training and education opportunities.

“The pandemic highlighted the essential nature of the trucking industry as stores scrambled early on to keep their shelves filled and keep medical supplies in stock. An opportunity, unlike any other, has been presented for the trucking industry to show the value of its careers,” noted Parke.

Looking at the Perception of the Trucking Industry
Despite the essential nature of the trucking industry, it has long been misunderstood. In reality, the trucking industry is nothing like some perceive it–the industry is composed of highly-skilled, hard-working professionals who want to provide for their families, and not all of them sit behind the wheel. The trucking industry values safety on the road above all else, uses high tech communication tools, and utilizes smart technologies to improve efficiencies and reduce carbon emissions. Those behind the wheel are delivering the most critical goods (e.g., food, fuel, water, medicine, toilet paper, diapers, and more) to our communities every day, through good times and bad. And, behind the scenes, there are many others who are loading and unloading, planning routes, keeping the trucks running, selling services, and so much more.

About the Go. Your Way Campaign
Gen Z is attracted to video storytelling platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Reels and Stories. They want to be entertained–enjoying humor, video game playthroughs, reviews, reaction videos, compilations, and even influencers just hanging out and living everyday life. The Go. Your Way campaign has recruited its own engaging ambassador to go behind the scenes of the trucking industry and learn what it’s like behind the wheel or under the hood in a year-long, vlog-like episodic video series on YouTube. The content is being leveraged in the campaign’s digital advertising effort on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

“The idea is to give folks an inside look into the industry to generate curiosity while showing them that trucking is a viable and exciting career,” notes Parke. “Using a character who doesn’t know squat about the trucking industry allows him to lean into that lack of knowledge with some humor and interviews to show people what it’s really like and we have some amazing stories to share.”

Finally, the campaign features a vibrant and energetic website that helps individuals understand all the different high paying opportunities that exist, answers questions people may have, and provides assistance from industry insiders on how to get started. A first step for many is to get their commercial driver’s license (CDL). From there, the many career options offered include:

• Freight handling;
• Local Truck Driver;
• Office support;
• Over-the-road Truck Driver;
• Regional Truck Driver; and
• Technician.

“I’m very proud to be a driver and love what I do—supplying the world with goods and needs,” said Ed Stover, Regional Truck Driver based out of Mechanic Falls, ME. “[It’s] a great career that has financially helped provide for my family.”

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