Biden will highlight truck industry investments at the White House event on Monday

Maria Rodriquez, a trucking trainee, will speak about the expanded registered training program on Monday, Simons said. And former Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy is expected to speak about the newly formed Task Force Industry and Veteran Service Organization to support veterans entering the trucking industry.

In a fact sheet released Sunday night, the White House said that since Biden took office, the administration has “borne the supply chain disruptions and price increases resulting from decades of lack of investment in the country’s commodity supply chain.”

But the tough working conditions for long-distance drivers in particular make it incredibly difficult to retain drivers, who often switch to other companies or leave the industry altogether.

The average annualized truck driver turnover rate at larger companies was 96% in the third quarter of last year, according to the American Trucking Associations, a trade group. For smaller carriers, the turnover rate was 73%.

However, long-distance drivers are typically paid per mile rather than per hour worked, and are also exempt from overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act. This means that drivers only earn money when they are actively driving and not when, for example, they are waiting for the freight to be ready for collection or while the truck is being loaded or unloaded.

Besides, it’s a dangerous job. Motorists are 10 times more likely to be killed on the job and nearly 9 times more likely to be injured on the job than the average worker, according to a Department of Commerce report based on 2015 data .