The Ohio House has passed a bill that would give Ohio employers up to $25,000 in tax credits for training truck drivers. The proposal is now on its way to the Senate.
State Rep. (R-Paris Twp.) authored , and says he鈥檚 seen first-hand in his manufacturing business how a lack of drivers can delay shipments.
He hopes the bill spurs more employers to pay for employees to get a , which can cost up to $10,000. But he adds that cost is not the only deterrent: There are , and trucking can seem like an 鈥渦nglamorous鈥� profession to some.
鈥淪tarting out in the CDL driver world, you may have to go over the road for six months or a year to get some experience on your resume,鈥� Stoltzfus says. 鈥淪o that鈥檚 another drawback for people: They don鈥檛 want to spend two weeks on the road, then come home, then spend another two weeks on the road.鈥�
But Stoltzfus says truck driving can be a very lucrative career, with a growing demand. He estimates there鈥檚 a nationwide shortage of about 50,000 drivers.
His bill proposes up to five credits of $5,000 each per employer, for a total of $25,000. It also sets a total statewide cap of $3 million a year.
Stoltzfus says his company has trained several drivers in recent years, but will not be applying for the credit themselves.
State Rep. (D-Cleveland) co-authored the bill.
