CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation aimed at averting a national rail strike, a work stoppage that would likely have catastrophic consequences on the economy.

This comes after union workers rejected deals with the freight railroads, demanding improvements with the working conditions and an addition of paid sick days for their employees. 

What You Need To Know

  • The House passed legislation aimed at preventing a rail strike

  • The Senate will vote on whether to avert the strike sometime over the next week 

  • A CDL trucker says a strike will probably hurt the trucking industry

The Senate is expected to vote on the legislation sometime over the next week. However, some workers are concerned about what could happen if the rail workers decide to strike on Dec. 9. 

Gene Collins has been a CDL truck driver for 25 years. 

“I [did it] so I had something to do,” Collins said. “I always looked in the newspapers and seen they needed truck drivers.”

Over time, Collins says the need for truckers has become more critical. He’s worried the shortage will only get worse if a rail strike occurs, because fewer trains on the tracks may cause more trucks having to deliver more goods.

“It’s going to be really hard if they don’t work,” Collins said. “Our other drivers aren’t going to be able to handle the workload. We’re already short on truck drivers,” Collins said. 

The American Trucking Associations previously reported a shortage of 80,000 truck drivers in 2021 — they’re predicting it will climb to over 160,000 vacancies by 2030. 

Now the American Trucking Associations is calling on Congress to avert any potential rail strike, saying the ramifications would be too severe for the workforce. 

In a Tweet, The American Trucking Associations says organizations like hospitals depend on their freight rail and trucking for supplies, further stating the trucking industry has neither the equipment nor manpower to replace a single day of lost freight rail service."

Railroad unions have expressed disapproval of Congress trying to stop the strike.

As of now, the Dec. 9 rail strike is still looming.

But for truckers like Collins, they’re hoping for the best outcome. 

“It’s going to be hard either way,” Collins said. “Hopefully, they will continue to work, but it is what it is.”