F3 chat: The ‘trucking shortage’ and how the mainstream media covers it

FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: Coverage of the trucking industry and supply chain crisis in mainstream media.

DETAILS: Rachel Premack, senior transportation reporter for the Insider, and FreightWaves founder and CEO Craig Fuller discuss how mainstream media has embraced coverage of the trucking industry. 

BIO: At the Insider, Premack focuses on logistics, particularly trucking and how deliveries are changing with the rise of e-commerce. She has appeared on ABC News, NBC Nightly News, Today, France24, national radio programs and industry podcasts to discuss her reporting on the trucking industry.

Watch: Fireside chat

Key quotes from Premack

“Things that have changed the most is that there is kind of this movement … against talking about the ‘truck driver shortage.’ I feel like I see more mainstream media outlets saying, like, ‘OK, this is something large industry executives are saying, but we have to consider all the other factors.’”

“There is kind of a growing mainstream media interest in the trucking industry. … I don’t know if it will last past 2021 or early 2022, but it is interesting to see some journalists and some outlets to question like, is it a shortage? Should we ask someone who is not the ATA [American Trucking Associations]? Should we interview someone else?”

“There is more intrigue of like, oh, this is kind of the backbone, this is kind of how everything is structured, through trucking networks and through the supply chain. I’m not sure why it took so long for people to realize that’s how things work but better late than never, I suppose. I think definitely the supply chain crisis has really enlightened people on the back end of things.”