Joyce brenny, head of brenny transportation in minnesota, increased driver pay 15 percent this year to try to attract more drivers. A shortage of truck drivers, ripple effects from an extraordinarily harsh winter, new federal trucking regulations, more items needing to be transported and higher fuel costs are why some. Check out the real stats to get a grasp on the truth behind the driver shortage. Heres why americas massive truck driver shortage is. The truck driver shortage is expected to surge to 239,000 by 2022. 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. The american trucking associations ata estimates that the u. The numbers are slightly different than those in the wsj, because the bureau of labor statistics includes other kinds of drivers, like fedex drivers and local delivery driver, in addition. American trucking associations the voice of americas. Labourhrdriver shortage archive canadian trucking alliance. December 2014 215 november 2014 181 october 2014 262. The average age of a driver trainee is 35 years old, usa truck inc.
There are major delivery delays of containers in many different areas. Demographics are changing truck driver management fleet. And the trucking industry is trying to avert a more severe driver shortage. Truck driver greg gedenberg in the back of his trucks cab where he often sleeps. This is part of the first article in a threemonth series examining the driver shortage, measuring its impact on trucking operations and exploring methods to mitigate the crisis. America is experiencing a shortage of truck drivers, including household goods truck drivers and moving owneroperators. The criteria that trucking companies are posing are closely interconnected with. Driver shortage tops trucking industrys challenges for. Why theres a shortage of truck drivers in america huffpost. There was a huge surge in truck demand in east coast ports when the west coast port slowdown happened in late 2014 and early 2015. The common feeling is that this current capacity crunch is here to stay for another 18 to 24 months. No container or straight truck or trailer moves without, at some point, a truck driver.
Survey says driver shortage, driver compensation top. Lack of qualified truck drivers being felt across u. At the beginning of 2014, a truck drivers salary was effectively lower than it was in 2000. The trucking industry carried nearly 10 billion tons of freight in 2014. Truck driver shortage is on course to double in a decade. Currently, truck driver shortage rates are rising rapidly, and it can be felt throughout the economy. The driver shortage truck drivers are the basic unit of transportation capacity and the glue that holds supply chains together. Closing the gap on driver shortages truck driving jobs. What are trucking companies doing to solve the driver. Heres why americas massive truck driver shortage is getting worse. The us was short some 36,500 drivers in 2016, according to a 2017 report by the american trucking. Ten eyewitness news, 5 january 2014 unrealistic timetables, unsafe work conditions and unfair pressure placed on transport workers has led to. Drivers of 18wheelers, tractortrailers, delivery trucks, freight trucks and tanker.
In the context of an almost 10% general unemployment rate in the. Nearly every period of economic growth is accompanied by a driver shortage, including the recovery that began in 2009. Stories about a persistent driver shortageand its potential effects on the. Pay for truck drivers has been falling for three decades while the demands and the responsibilities of the job have been going exactly the opposite. If someone wants to open a new factory and finds the workers to build products, but the cost of freight is too high because of a truck driver shortage. Driver shortage trucking industrys top concern october 29, 2018.
In 2014, 38 states issued nearly 395,000 cdls, up 10 percent from 20, according to a 2015 general accounting office report. The shortage of truck drivers in the united states. This shortage has dramatic effects on timely deliveries. Dire driver shortages in us trucking companies could hit. Theres several factors for the driver shortage, which is a pain, because that means theres no one solution. Commercial drivers average age is 55, and young people dont want to take up the slack. There is no one solution, said bob costello, the atas chief economist who regularly projects driver shortage and turnover numbers. The shortage of professional truck drivers in the canadian forhire trucking industry is escalating more rapidly than industry analysts previously thought, according to a new study prepared for the canadian trucking alliance. Wednesday april 22, 2020 business conditions, covid19, labourhrdriver shortage, news releases while public support and appreciation for truck drivers during the covid19 crisis remains unprecedently high, a recent survey by cta shows that federal aid is now required to provide much needed relief to trucking companies whose operations have. The federal motor carrier safety administration counted 5. According to usa today shortages of trucks and drivers are delaying some deliveries of products and raw materials across the usa and raising freight costs. The trucking industry is reverberating with claims that there is a massive driver shortage, that they have trouble recruiting and retaining drivers, and that they have to pay more to recruit and retain them. Theres a critical shortage of truck drivers in the us right now, and its only getting worse.
Even so, trucking companies, especially truckload carriers, often have great difficulty finding, hiring and keeping drivers. The united states has had a truck driver shortage for years, but experts say its hitting a crisis level this year. The demand for truck drivers is only going to keep growing according to many trucking industry statistics. Ceo james reed said during an ata panel discussion. Reductions in productivity exacerbate the driver shortage as it requires more trucks, and thus more drivers, to move the same amount of freight. Theres a huge shortage of truck drivers in america heres why the problem is only getting worse. For the many unemployed truck drivers across the us, it may be surprising to learn that there is currently a nationwide shortage of qualified and experienced truck drivers. Truck driver shortages in the us and what it could mean for. Heavy and tractortrailer truck drivers transport goods from one location to another. The driver shortage has certainly help boost driver compensation which has been long overdue. Truck driver shortage is a shortage of imagination. An instructor, right, speaks with a student after practicing parallel parking with a truck at iowa central community college in fort dodge. The trucking industry will need to hire 890000 new drivers, an average of 89000 per year, in order to keep pace with demand, according to a.
How to become a heavy or tractortrailer truck driver heavy and tractortrailer. There is a shortage of truck drivers in the united states. To keep pace, some truck fleets are considering further doubledigit driver pay increases later in the year. Austin, texas the driver shortage has emerged as the trucking industrys top concern for the second year in a row. Become a household goods truck driver to help fill the shortage of truck drivers in the us. Us truck driver shortage is slowing amazon orders, upping. At the same time, industry research shows that nearly a third of new drivers have the same reaction curry did and quit in 90 days. The truck driver shortage issue lingers on in the north american trucking industry. Ok lets start with how many truck drivers there are and then move onto the number of truck driving jobs and trucks on the roads in the us today.
The new study understanding the truck driver supply and demand gap was conducted by transportation consultants. Americas shortage of truck drivers could affect prices and cause delivery delays. Owneroperator independent drivers association president todd spencer explains why he says theres an american truck driver shortage. Google the term truck driver shortage and youll find an endless string of articles from various local newspapers lamenting the lack.
The lack of acknowledgement by the two groups on driver shortage vs. 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. The american transportation research institute atri published its list. While off those levels, the turnover rate was still high for the first quarter of 2014 at an annualized rate of 92 percent. America is facing a shortage of semi truck drivers that is only going to get worse in the near future.
Working as a longhaul truck driver is a lifestyle choice because these drivers can be away from home for days or weeks at a time. Americas shortage of truck drivers could affect prices. Ap photoingrid barrentine america is experiencing a shortage of truck drivers. Trucking industry struggles with growing driver shortage. The wall street journal recently reported on the need for 48,000 truckers in an industry of 800,000.
Most of the time, regulations, like changes to truck driver hoursofservice, reduce industry productivity. With the economy slowly rising, and 80% of all transportation of goods moved by truck drivers, the current shortage is going. But the data in the chart stops in 2014, just when things started to change in the industry. Yet recruiting immigrants to be drivers appears to be a successful tactic, despite truckings reluctance to discuss it. As i mentioned in the intro, many trucking companies nowadays have posed strict hiring criteria. One of the factors keeping rates high is inflationary driver pay, which represents. Arlington, virginia today, the american trucking associations released the latest edition of its annual data compendium ata american trucking trends read more.
Predictions are that within a few years, the number of empty seats. New survey data reveals increases in driver compensation. Trucking industry struggles with growing driver shortage more than 70 percent of goods consumed in the u. The us has a major truck driver shortage but the co. Posted wednesday april 22, 2020 in business, labourhrdriver shortage, news releases while public support and appreciation for truck drivers during the covid19 crisis remains unprecedently high, a recent survey by cta shows that federal aid is now required to provide much needed relief to trucking companies whose operations have been severely.
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