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The federal government calculates that about 65 percent of Americans' goods are hauled by trucking companies. "If you bought it, it's likely a trucker brought it to you," said John Lamirand, research specialist with Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp., which provided that statistic. The 75 people who attended a meeting Tuesday at the Lehigh Valley Workforce Development Board in Allentown learned that the trucking industry is growing and thousands of jobs are available. They also had a two-hour discussion looking at ways to attract new drivers. The need for more drivers is pronounced. A Wall Street Journal story this month noted that the trucking industry will need to hire 890,000 drivers in the next decade to replace retirees and meet rising demand. The Lehigh Valley mirrors the trend. LVEDC has noted that the trucking sector is one of the Valley's largest with jobs needing to be filled. Trucking jobs are expected to grow by nearly 20 percent over the next decade, creating 3,700 new hires. Despite decent pay — companies are pushing up wages to combat shortages — benefits and other perks, industry officials and regional workplace experts say a significant hiring gap exists and needs to be addressed. Click here to read the article.