Trucker shortage affecting farmers

ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) - Farmers in our area are struggling to get their products to market.

It’s all because the country is seeing a shortage of licensed truckers to drive. Pandemic-related fears cut into the workforce last year, and fewer trucks and parts are available because of interruptions in the global supply chain.

Agricultural products go bad, and need to get to market in a limited time.

And it’s not just outgoing loads that they are worried about.

”From the standpoint of agricultural supplies, key agricultural supplies, whether it’s livestock feed, fertilizer and seed, they all come in on a truck,” explained Tom Stanley, Rockbridge County’s agricultural extension agent. “And they can be quite sensitive.”

Virginia particularly suffers from the trucker shortage, as its central location in the country makes it uniquely suited to ship products by truck.

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