Driver shortages main challenge facing Othello trucking companies

OTHELLO — Othello trucking companies AGB Trucking and Flamingo Trucking are both in healthy positions, according to their respective owners, but are nonetheless both facing similar problems finding drivers. 

AGB Trucking owner Grant Swett said AGB primarily transports frozen agricultural commodities to and from Seattle and Tacoma daily. 

“I mean, the I-90 corridor is obviously pretty important,” Swett said.”We don't really use a lot of Highway 17 for trucking, it's basically Highway 26 and I-90.”

Swett said the benefits of being in Adams County are its highway access, agricultural production and proximity to exporters on the West Coast, especially compared to agricultural production spots farther east, such as in Idaho. 

The area is not without its disadvantages, however. 

“There is a shortage of drivers here in Adams County. Everybody here has a trucking company. You have companies that have one truck or, like us, 35 trucks,” Swett said. “You have to go outside the area. That's kind of the disadvantage of our area, the shortage of drivers here.”

Flamingo Trucking owner Pete Garza spoke about his experiences with trucking in Othello and Adams County. Flamingo’s main contract is with McCain Foods in Othello, and Garza said the number of food producers in Othello and the surrounding area plays a large part in the importance of trucking. 

“Drivers obviously come and go — they’ve got a special license. That's what makes this job hard: keeping everybody happy, doing everything you need to get done. It makes it a little harder when you don’t have all the drivers needed,” Garza said. “We are finding it difficult to find drivers. I'm sure everybody is … Everybody wants to be their own owner, so they find a truck they can afford and everybody wants to be their own boss … There are probably more trucks out there with single owners, (more) single-truck operating companies running around out there versus big companies, so that hurts the big companies. It's hard to hire everybody out – we’re not brokers, we're a company.”

Garza said it's best from a business perspective to avoid hiring out jobs. 

“When you're running a business, obviously you want all your own personal vehicles running,” he said. “The worst thing for us is just not having enough drivers to where I don't have to hire extra companies to cover everything. But if we didn't have all those (extra) guys, then we would get ourselves put in a bind when we do need a guy and they’re not going to be around. It's a catch-22.”

Garza said despite the driver shortage, Flamingo is in good shape.

“We're doing pretty good. We're working constantly; we're not getting a lot of downtime and stuff,” he said. “Obviously, right now the holidays kind of slow you up, but besides that we are full-time and not having a problem. Our worst thing is just keeping enough drivers.”

Swett also talked about the impact of Commercial Driver Licence courses in the area, including the Othello School District’s new CDL program, which will begin at the start of the Othello High School spring semester. 

“Like we told them, it's not going to benefit anybody here, because what happens is no insurance company wants to hire anybody unless you have two years of experience,” Swett said. “These kids that get out of the schools, they have to go basically be on the road for two years, like with Swift or Walmart or somebody, and then they can come back here and work for us. It will be very helpful, but they have to go out and get experience before they can come back here.”

The OSD’s new CDL course will be taught by licensed truck and bus drivers and will feature practical driving hours in addition to classroom instruction, according to OSD Student Services Director Amy Parris. 

Garza said he liked the idea of the Othello CDL program, but echoed Swett’s sentiments regarding the new course. 

“I think it's great. I think it's great to give the kids something. The only problem with that is it's just so hard to hire somebody that has no experience. Our insurance that we personally have is a stickler for that and we need a few years of experience … and that causes an issue.”

Garza then shared some advice for those looking to enter the trucking industry, specifically in Adams County.

“It's booming. It's great … it'd be great just to get into business with almost anybody you can just to get experience and go to bigger companies like Flamingo Trucking, and lots of other companies that have lots of trucks and lots of work,” Garza said. “Jumping into it by yourself, not knowing very much, you’re going to get yourself in a hole, paying a lot of money for a vehicle that you can't afford to run. That would be the worst-case scenario. The cost of running a vehicle is super hard still, insurance-wise — that's the worst part of the business … We obviously can't insure every driver we want to. With keeping up the equipment, you gotta have a good crew that keeps up the equipment that enables you to run every day. I'm lucky enough to have almost all those 100%.”

Gabriel Davis may be reached at gdavis@columbiabasinherald.com. Download the Columbia Basin Herald app on iOS and Android.

    A truck purchased by the Othello School District to conduct practical training during its Commercial Driver License course beginning at Othello High School during the spring semester. The cab will be attached to a trailer for the course as well.
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    A truck driver prepares to clean the ice off the rearview mirrors of his vehicle not far from the junction of State Route 26 and I-90, the route AGB Trucking Owner Grant Swett said his business primarily uses.
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    Othello-based company Flamingo Trucking owner Peter Garza stands in Flamingo Trucking’s repair bay, showing the inside of a truck cab in January 2021.
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