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Mar 7, 2019

Amid a record driver shortage, Indian-American Sikhs are taking to trucking

In the last two years, one demographic has been gravitating towards the trucking industry by the thousands: Indian-American Sikhs.

by Maggie Mullen
Mintu Pandher sits inside the cab of his rig at the truck stop he bought a few years ago in southeastern Wyoming. He joined the industry because it was a blue-collar job that didn’t interfere with his Sikh beliefs and traditions. 
Mintu Pandher sits inside the cab of his rig at the truck stop he bought a few years ago in southeastern Wyoming. He joined the industry because it was a blue-collar job that didn’t interfere with his Sikh beliefs and traditions. 
Maggie Mullen/Marketplace

The trucking industry is experiencing a major shortage of drivers. But in the last two years, one demographic has been gravitating towards the industry by the thousands: Indian-American Sikhs. It’s an attractive blue-collar job because it doesn’t interfere with articles of faith, like turbans or beards. 

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUER in Salt Lake City and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.

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