Lola Boles, who has been transporting RVs since 1994, prepares a hitch in April before driving an RV to a dealership in San Antonio from the staging lot at MDZ Trucking in Shipshewana. (SBT File photo/GREG SWIERCZ)
Money still talks.
An approximate 4 percent pay increase for drivers from recreation vehicle manufacturers has gone a long way to lessening the backlog of recreation vehicles on area lots.
In April, Recreation Vehicle Industry Association officials called a meeting among transporters at the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart to discuss solutions for a shortage of about 2,000 drivers.
At a time when the industry was thriving again, the shortage was a major issue. RVs needed to get to the customers who were buying them, especially by the start of summer. It was estimated then that there were 25,000 to 30,000 recreation vehicles on lots in northern Indiana waiting to be delivered to dealers.
Industry officials estimated deliveries were four to six weeks behind.
But today, Doug DeMeyer, president and owner of MDZ Trucking in Shipshewana, estimates that shipments are only about 10 days behind.
Copyright © 2024, South Bend Tribune