Public Works in need of drivers

Jana Mathia, Gazette Reporter | Nov 23, 20170

Whitman County Public Works is feeling the pinch from a lack of Class A drivers.

“It’s a nation-wide shortage,” Mark Story, Public Works director told the board of county commissioners Monday morning.

Public Works has been continuously trying to fill positions requiring Class A drivers for about six months. Storey stated the department is short four or five drivers with several current drivers within a few years of retirement.

The county’s operators drive snowplows and sanders in the winter and dump trucks with rock and asphalt in the summer.

“This is year-round employment,” Storey said. When not driving, the operators have other tasks to do for the Public Works Department.

Storey and Commissioner Art Swannack said the lack of drivers with a Class A license is a problem everywhere. With the booming economy, truckers are in demand to drive semi loads of goods.

A Class A license allows a person to drive 18-wheel semi trucks and other vehicles of the same class; which snow plows and dump trucks fall into. Storey noted on the Palouse there are a lot of potential drivers who have the know-how and experience, but lack the license. A lot of local drivers have farm exemptions to drive their big trucks. But to drive for the county, a person needs the Class A Commercial Driver License (CDL). Commercial vehicles are divided into three classes according to the Washington State Department of Licensing. A Class A CDL licenses the driver to operate single or combination vehicles of any size.

The training to apply for the license is a six to eight week class, costing about $4,000.

One possible remedy for the county’s deficiency may be for the county to cover the cost of the training in return for a contracted number of years of employment. Swannack noted another remedy being discussed to address the national shortage is allowing military personnel with the experience to get a CDL even if they are younger than 21. DOL states to operate commercial vehicles from state to state a person must be 21 years old.

“We’re going to take a hard look at this before January,” Storey said. In the meantime, he hopes the lack of drivers does not affect the winter operations.