The driver deficit swelled by more than 10,000 to 60,800 in 2018 from a year earlier, according to a study by the american trucking associations. The trucking industry needed tens of thousands of drivers even before the coronavirus hit. According to the american trucking associations, america will be short 175,000 drivers by 2026. Selfdriving big rigs no solution for driver shortage. First, make sure you will be able to fulfill the necessary. Walmart says a truck driver shortage has changed trucker. Meet the truckdriving mom in a business with hardly any. Heavy and tractortrailer truck drivers transport goods from one location to another. Even today, a lack of drivers is making goods more expensive and delaying orders. The shortage is expected to ease slightly this year as u.
More than 60,000 truck drivers were needed by the end of last year the most ever to meet the countrys demands for freight services, according to a new driver shortage. Bad press, high demand and a lack of skilled labor has led to a yearlong truck driver shortage, and it doesnt show signs of stopping. Professional bus and truck drivers are the industrys key assets, moving people and goods where they need to be. An aging fleet of drivers is one of the main reasons for the driver shortage. According to the american trucking associations, also. The driver shortage stretches back a quarter century, and lately a runup in freight demand, staggeringly high turnover rates and waves of baby boomer retirements are compounding the problem. There isnt widespread agreement about whether there even is a truck driver shortage, for example. Until recently, if you said the word truck drivers and 21stcentury economy in the same breath, most economists and voters would have guessed that the next words would be job losses.
Survey says driver shortage, driver compensation top. An important source of employment there were approximately 1. Theres a shortage of bigrig truck drivers in the u. Us truck driver shortage points to bigger problems. The bureau of labor statistics estimates that the average age of a commercial truck driver in the u.
However, there certainly is a shortage of carriers willing to pay enough to attract drivers and improve the. According to the ata, if current trends continue, by 2026 we will have a truck driver shortage in the usa of over 174,000 drivers. Experts the driver shortage is the result of an aging workforce, high turnover and increasing freight demand. Truck drivers are the basic unit of transportation capacity and the glue that holds supply chains together. Never mistake the terms truck driver turnover with the truck driver shortage. Usa today published a series of articles documenting how port trucking companies in. Most tractortrailer drivers are longhaul drivers and operate trucks with a total weight exceeding 26,000 pounds for the vehicle, passengers, and cargo. Ata releases updated driver shortage report and forecast. The truck driver shortage can be solved by paying drivers for all the work they do. The exact nature of the labor shortage in the trucking industry is also tricky to assess. Fleets are also doing more to improve the lifestyle and image of the truck driver. Trucking industry struggles with growing driver shortage more than 70 percent of goods consumed in the u. There is a shortage of truck drivers in the united states. Covid19 and truck driver shortage may threaten food.
The industry historically reliant on older, white male drivers is facing a record shortage with an. For a considerable time now, the industry has faced the lack of new qualified drivers entering while existing drivers switched to distribution jobs. Truck driver shortage is on course to double in a decade. Fort smith area universities expand logistics, supply. Why theres a shortage of truck drivers in america huffpost. Cnbc s kate rogers reports on the shortage of truck drivers and how it affects the greater u. Unsurprisingly, thats leading to a bidding war for qualified truckers among the big companies.
The american trucking associations figures companies need about 60,000 drivers, a number that could top 100,000 in just a few years. That is so because truckers know that they are in the situation to change companies easily. Canadas truck driver shortage will grow by half in less than a decade as the industry grapples with an aging workforce and difficulties recruiting young people and women. Bigrig truck driver shortage worsened by coronavirus. Bigrig truck driver shortage worsened by coronavirus marketplace. Even so, trucking companies, especially truckload carriers, often have great difficulty finding, hiring and keeping drivers.
People working in the trucking industry say a shortage of drivers is looming larger than ever and freight and logistics companies say they cant fill positions as fast as baby boomers are leaving. Motor carriers and commercial drivers agree on just four of the top 10 challenges facing the trucking industry, according to the american transportation research institutes atri annual study the shortage of forhire, longhaul drivers was the top issue in atris annual survey that has taken the industrys pulse for the last 15 years. The truck driver shortage can be solved by paying drivers. Meet the truck driving mom in a business with hardly any women american jobs hbo. Why america is facing a shortage of truck drivers cbs news. One of the biggest problems in the freight industry is that truck drivers. Looking for a rewarding career in a highdemand industry. Joyce brenny, head of brenny transportation in minnesota, increased driver pay 15 percent this year to try to attract more drivers. In california, nearly 50 percent of truck drivers were born outside of the united states. According to the atas chief economist bob costello, while the driver shortage is a persistent issue for the industry, motor carriers are constantly working to address it by fleets raising pay, and offering other incentives to attract drivers. Truck driver salaries have fallen by as much as 50% since the 1970s and experts say a littleknown law explains why even walmart, the. The department of labor lists 864,000 drivers as forhire trucking heavy and tractor trailer drivers. A youthdriven approach to the driver shortage freightwaves. The short answer is there is not now, nor has there ever been, a truck driver shortage.
Atas costello projects out the driver shortage, and its. Americas severe trucker shortage could undermine the. A new report says the industry needs to hire roughly 90,000 new truckers each year to keep up. Retailers are facing a shipping squeeze, and the trucking industry just cant keep up. Over the past 15 years, weve watched the shortage rise and fall with economic trends, but it ballooned last year to the highest level weve seen. Why america is facing a shortage of truck drivers more than 70 percent of the goods we consume are carried by truck drivers on the nations highways. The forhire trucking market does not have a driver shortage problem. During the great recession that started in 2008, the driver shortage was erased, but only.
The shortage of truck drivers in the united states truck drivers are an often underappreciated group in the united states, despite being absolutely vital to the us economys ability to function. Forthwith, truck driver turnover is happening on increased rates when truckers are in high demand. No container or straight truck or trailer moves without, at some point, a truck driver. At usa truck, cdla owner operator truck drivers can count on outstanding support, plenty of freight and reliable pay. The united states and colorado are facing a truck driver shortage, a daunting economic prospect as the vast. The ata projects the driver gap will increase to nearly 100,000 by 2021. China trade friction slows freight demand and after trucking companies boosted pay. Americas severe trucker shortage could undermine the prosperous economy. If you are a foreign worker hoping to work as a truck driver in the us, you may be served best by applying for an h2b visa. Learn what news sources are saying about usa truck and stay up to date on the latest info.
Freight rates are climbing, as theres more work than truckers can handle. Truck driver shortage in itself is something weve been seeing in the us for decades so it isnt exactly a new problem. Nothing fires up the trucking community like a strong opinion on the driver shortage. Truck driver shortage adds uncertainty to canadian supply. The industry driver shortage narrative is helping to destroy the truckload markets. How walmart shielded itself from truckdriver shortage by paying. Americas massive truck driver shortage may triple by 2026. Arlington, virginia today, the american trucking associations released its latest examination of the driver shortage, finding the industry needed 60,800 more drivers at the end of 2018 to meet the countrys demands for freight services. The american trucking associations says the industry needs to hire almost 900,000 more drivers to meet rising demand. Knight, whos been a driver for 22 years,believes the shortage stems from the regulations on invehicle electronic logging devices, which mandates thatdrivers can only drive their rigs for up to. Dire driver shortages in us trucking companies could hit. Americas shortage of truck drivers could affect prices and cause delivery delays. Truck driver greg gedenberg in the back of his truck s cab where he often sleeps.
Trucks move almost all of the food and other items americans purchase, and the shortage of drivers is driving up shipping rates. According to the american trucking associations, theres a shortage of roughly 50,000 truck drivers across. Trucking industry struggles with growing driver shortage. Dire driver shortages in us trucking companies could. More than 70 percent of the goods we consume are carried by truck drivers on the nations highways.
The wall street journal recently reported on the need for 48,000 truckers in an industry of 800,000. But costello said that does not consist solely of overtheroad drivers, where the problem lies. Trucking company recruiters descend daily on the united states truck driver. Be part of the new wave of professional truck drivers joining a needed industry at a.
Curious to know where usa truck stands in the eyes of the media. Theres a shortage of 51,000 truck drivers nationwide, the ata says, up from 20,000 in 20 and 36,500 in 2016. Atas driver shortage report 2019 american trucking associations. Trucking industry was short more than 60,000 drivers. But that includes drivers like cement truck or dump truck drivers, and they arent part of the driver shortage. Why america is facing a shortage of truck drivers youtube. Facing a critical shortage of drivers, the trucking. Americas shortage of truck drivers could affect prices. Truck driver shortage adds uncertainty to canadian supply chains affected by covid19, rail blockades young people arent lining up to be truck drivers even though the average annual salary is.
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