This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

PRICEVILLE, Ala. – Trucks deliver more than 80% of all goods in Alabama. That’s a statistic that representatives from the Alabama Trucking Association said they’re proud of.

“If you got it, it came from a trucker,” said Mark Colson, CEO and President of The Alabama Trucking Association.

Our economy relies on truck drivers to deliver loads safely and on time. A job that they have been doing throughout the pandemic.

“I’m proud of the response the trucking community has provided throughout COVID; delivering vaccines, delivering medical relief goods, responding to every challenge that was put up,” said Colson.

Nationwide, the supply chain issues are impacting different industries. According to Colson, similar to the rest of the country, Alabama needs more truck drivers.

“The supply chain shortages are real, it’s not because of the trucker shortage, that’s just a symptom of it, and it’s going to take time to solve itself,” said Colson.

As gas and diesel prices trend higher, one truck driver at a truck stop in Priceville told News 19 that truckers aren’t making enough money per load that they transport to make a living. Simply put, the amount of money it costs them to run their trucks is not worth the amount they’re being offered to make the trip.

“We are definitely running on a shortage but it’s not because of the lack of drivers it’s because of the lack of pay per load if they could just simply increase the pay per load, you’d have a lot more drivers who would be willing to get out here and get it, but you just don’t have the overhead to do it and just run around for free,” said Owner and Operator, Johnie Moody.

Moodie said he’s seen just as many trucks on the road as usual but drivers don’t take some loads because they don’t make any money on them.

According to the ATA, it’s working to recruit more truckers and speed up the certification process. Colson said they’re thankful for the men and women who haul goods across the county.

“Thank a trucker, thank a trucker, it’s a tough time to be out there doing this job but a simple thank you goes a long way,” said Colson.