We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » Truck driver shortage hits 15-year high, ATA says
newsworthy

Truck driver shortage hits 15-year high, ATA says

August 2, 2019
Victoria Kickham
No Comments

The trucking industry continues to face hiring and driver retention challenges, as it needed 60,800 more drivers at the end of last year to meet demand for freight services, according to a mid-year report from the American Trucking Associations.

The ATA report is the latest update in the association's ongoing coverage of driver turnover trends and what it has identified as a driver shortage that has been growing since 2005, when the Arlington, Va.-based group first identified a shortfall of 20,000 drivers nationwide. An aging driver population, increases in freight volumes, and competition from other blue-collar careers are key factors influencing the problem, ATA leaders said.

"Over the past 15 years, we've watched the shortage rise and fall with economic trends, but it ballooned last year to the highest level we've seen to date," ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said in a prepared statement, adding that a surging freight economy on top of the shortage could lead to supply chain disruptions. "The increase in the driver shortage should be a warning to carriers, shippers, and policymakers because if conditions don't change substantively, our industry could be short just over 100,000 drivers in five years and 160,000 drivers in 2028."

As one example, Costello emphasized the need to find and attract younger drivers to the industry, noting that the average age of an over-the-road (OTR) driver is 46, according to the ATA Trends report. He added that the average age of a new driver being trained is 35.

"Whether by removing barriers for younger drivers to begin careers as drivers, attracting more demographic diversity into the industry, or easing the transition for veterans, we need to do more to recruit and retain drivers," Costello also said in the statement. "That includes increasing pay—which happened at a brisk pace last year—to keep pace with demand, addressing lifestyle factors like getting drivers more time at home, and improving conditions on the job like reducing wait times at shipper facilities."

Frank Granieri, COO of supply chain solutions for A. Duie Pyle, a regional carrier based in the Northeast, agrees. In a separate interview, Granieri said the driver shortage is most acute in the OTR truckload market, where spending days or weeks away from home and family makes for a challenging work-life balance. He agreed that improving conditions for drivers will go a long way toward addressing the industry's labor challenges.

"We maintain a people-centric culture, [providing] a financially stable and secure environment, with fair wages and above-market benefits," Granieri said, noting that doing so "lessens our need to react to employment shortages and, most importantly, provides for consistently high service levels."

Granieri said it can be especially difficult to recruit and retain drivers in the Northeast, where wages are among the highest in the nation and driver scarcity "is real" in many metropolitan areas.

Without some of the changes mentioned in its report, ATA said the industry is on track to need more than a million new drivers over the next decade—an average of 110,000 per year to replace retiring drivers and keep up with growth in the economy, the association said.

Transportation Trucking Truckload Publications & Associations
KEYWORDS A. Duie Pyle American Trucking Associations
  • Related Articles

    Driver shortage to hit highest levels on record this year with 47,500 unfilled seats, report says

    Truck tonnage down, driver turnover up, ATA says

    Driver turnover soars in second quarter for large, small truckload fleets, ATA says

Victoria kickham headshot
Victoria Kickham started her career as a newspaper reporter in the Boston area before moving into B2B journalism. She has covered manufacturing, distribution and supply chain issues for a variety of publications in the industrial and electronics sectors, and now writes about everything from forklift batteries to omnichannel business trends for DC Velocity.

Recent Articles by Victoria Kickham

Logistics activity continues strong pace

Capacity challenges will continue in 2021

In search of industrial space

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Cold chain giant Lineage Logistics buys its own rail operator

  • Autonomous trucking firm Plus prepares its tech for mass launch in China in 2021

  • The Home Depot opens automated DC in greater Atlanta

  • For container lines and ports, what a difference a year makes

  • Outlook 2021: What’s in store for logistics supply chain?

Now Playing on DCV-TV

Jlt procure rugged devices thumb

What it takes to procure the right rugged devices for your warehouse

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
Procuring new rugged devices for your warehouse is often a big decision and a significant investment. It needs careful planning and consideration. It involves more than ticking boxes on a spec sheet. It includes testing and getting employee buy in. And it's about finding a partner that can work with you to deploy...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Proven Benefits: A Compendium of Slotting Optimization Success Snapshots

  • Bridging Information Gaps in Dock and Yard Operations

  • How Intelligent Sensor Solutions Turn Data Into Action

  • Order picking Solutions: Understanding Your Options

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing