Could change lead to fewer truckers? By KATIE KOLT HALL, Staff Writer

But a September cancellation of the commercial driver license testing in International Falls will have a negative impact on the number of qualified commercial-vehicle drivers available for area companies, many say.

A decision by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety discontinued offering would-be truck drivers the test that would allow them to drive a commercial vehicle, necessitating travel to Virginia or Bemidji for testing.

The city of International Falls has positions requiring staff with a CDL. It has already sent to Virginia two staff members: one seeking the license, and the other who already possess the CDL to drive the truck required for testing. This process to obtain a CDL is a drastic increase in time and money paid by the city to provide staff the opportunity to get the license.

“It sure is an inconvenience for us,” said Steve Johnson, Falls street commissioner.

This immediate consequence already paid for by taxpayers is just a portion of the issue which will compound over time, opponents to the change say.

The problem is actually twofold, explains Brian Nelson, owner of B. Nelson Transport, Inc., noting a shortage of drivers already exists. The lack of testing is just part of the issue that has for several years caused him concern for the future of trucking in northern Minnesota.

The other portion is training required before a driver can take the test. Getting behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle requires additional training — and it can be costly.

In years past, Nelson said, companies often subsidized the cost of education if a driver would agree to work with the company for a given amount of time. With changes to insurance practices in the industry, often new drivers cannot be insured immediately after passing the test. This means more would-be drivers would have to foot the bill themselves to go through training — which many cannot afford.

“This is just going to compound the problem,” he said of the loss of testing availability locally.

Nelson said he knows at least 10 seasoned drivers who are at — and even years past — retirement age. The loss of one of these veterans to retirement would require two or three novice drivers to replace the work experienced truckers are able to do.

In the next several years, as the industry loses workers to retirement and attrition, replacement drivers will be needed to keep logs coming to the mill and keep products moving in and out of the region.

Another type of employee area companies seek is part-time or “occasional workers.” Because some industries, such as logging, are seasonal, additional drivers are often needed for as little as a few weeks. With fewer people conceivably getting the CDL, these occasional workers are likely the first to bypass the training and testing.

“Nobody’s going to go out of their way,” Nelson said of the part-time truckers.

John Wenberg of Wenberg Transfer, Inc. said because many of his drivers have been with the company for many years, the change has not had much effect for him.

“The whole town revolves around the heavy-duty industry,” said Laurie Mannausau of Mannco Trucking. “Sooner or later, as people retire, we need people to learn.”

She said they staff between six and 10 drivers depending on the time of year with an increase between winter and spring.

Nelson agrees that the testing change may not yield immediate consequences, but predicts that effects will be felt in the next few years.

“We may not see a huge impact in the next year, say,” he noted. “But what we’re going to face up here is it’s impossible to replace people who are retiring.”

In a letter from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to the International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, DPS Commissioner Michael Campion outlined the state’s reasons for the change. He said the decision was a result of federal changes to the test, inadequate testing facilities in International Falls and a decline in demand for the service.

“What’s changed is the state’s ability to pay bills,” said Chamber President Faye Whitbeck, noting that the essence of the regulations has not changed dramatically.

She said that because of the isolation of International Falls and its major industry depending on trucks and drivers, the issue is especially important for the area.

“We seem to be the only one hit like this,” she said. Other changes have been made statewide, but the distance between testing facilities has nowhere been as drastically affected as International Falls.

Whitbeck and Bob Anderson, Boise public affairs manager, noted that there was no reaction time given so that the area could come up with solutions to issues in the facility.

“We can get creative here,” Anderson said regarding issues surrounding the local testing facility, including a four-lane road of given speeds adequate for passing as well as a location to do turnarounds.

Anderson said 60,000 trucks worth of lumber per year are delivered to the Boise facility. He said the company’s interest was in supporting the contractors they receive raw product from.

“It takes another option for people to secure a license to work,” he added. “It adds a burden of time and cost to folks who want to take the test. And it creates issues for loggers and small companies of having an available work force.”

“It makes us that much more isolated,” Anderson said. Besides his interest as the Boise representative, Anderson is also involved in local transportation issues including a Highway 53 task force, which has pushed for widening the highway linking Duluth and International Falls.

From a work force perspective, the changes have caused frustration, said Paul Nevanen, Koochiching Economic Development Authority director.

“Because of the location and the industry, there is quite a need in terms of work force in this area,” he said. “It’s losing one more thing we can offer to locals.”

Nevanen said 59 truckers were employed in Koochiching County, according to information received from the state Department of Employment and Economic Development. However, this total does not reflect indirect effects on the local economy and the industries affected by trucking.

CDL training

Jenny Dougherty, local Small Business Development Center, has been working with other Minnesota communities such as Hibbing to increase training opportunities for commercial driving. She said that with enough interest in a program, an interactive television course could possibly be scheduled, reducing travel for Borderland students.

On Jan. 14 - March 18, classroom training will be offered Fridays, noon-5 p.m.; drive times will be arranged between students and the instructor.

Hibbing Community College provides 40 hours of classroom education, and 30 hours of behind-the-wheel training.

For more information, visit the Hibbing Community College website, www.hibbing.edu, or call 218-262-7270.

International Falls driving test totals

Year CDL Class D Motorcycle

2007 32 233 17

2008 30 208 21

2009 19 197 16

Jan.-Aug. 2010 12 136 9

From Minnesota Department of Public Safety