Jorge Chavez, an owner/operator working with Jetco Delivery, drives around the yard on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023 in Houston.In trucking lots across the U.S., big rigs are stagnant, and not because there's a lack of cargo to ship. Freight demands, have actually increased nationwide, but there is a shortage professional drivers as truckers retire or leave the industry.
“My mom, she was a truck driver in Central America,” said Jorge Chavez, a Houston area truck driver from El Salvador who has seen this shift during his twenty years on the road, when there were fewer immigrants like him in the trucking industry. L: 4-year-old Jorge Chavez with his mom, Sara Chavez, and brother Juan Jose Quintanilla. R: Jorge Chavez, an owner/operator working with Jetco Delivery, stands near his truck Monday, Feb. 13, 2023 in Houston.
He said he's seen a lot of Central Americans with work permits entering the industry over the years. They qualify for trucking jobs under short term Temporary Protected Status, which has helped companies compensate for the shortage of drivers.