The US truck driver shortage has been a growing concern in the transportation industry for several years. With an aging workforce and a decreasing number of young people entering the field, along with delays of automated trucking, the shortage of qualified truck drivers is only expected to increase in the coming years.
According to the American Trucking Association (ATA), the average age of a truck driver in the US is 46 years old. As these current drivers reach retirement age, the industry is struggling to attract and retain younger drivers to replace them–especially since the minimum age for interstate commercial truck driving is 21, and people who would otherwise go into trucking are instead scooped up by other trade-related occupations.
Another contributing factor to the driver shortage is the ELD Mandate that limits the number of hours a driver can work. In December 2017, the hours of service (HOS) regulations were passed that now require drivers traveling beyond a 150-air mile radius to use Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs). These devices track drivers’ locations and their hours of service, as well as other factors such as driving behavior. So drivers (most of whom enter into this profession for the autonomy) are now able to be closely tracked and also are limited in the amount of work they can do, as the regulations require taking 10 hr rests after up to 11 hours of driving. This has hugely impacted the smaller guys (owner operators and small fleet owners) who may not have had the fleet volume to make up for that diminished profit margin.
In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the driver shortage. Despite 2021 being an excellent year for the freight industry, with companies and drivers being able to command 2x their normal rates, Covid also caused shutdowns in CDL training programs, leading to a decrease in the number of new drivers entering the workforce.
So, what does the future hold in terms of the US truck driver shortage? Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that the shortage will be resolved anytime soon. The American Trucking Association (ATA) predicts that the industry will need to hire an additional 1.1 million drivers by 2029 to meet the growing demand.
To address the shortage, the industry is exploring a variety of solutions, including new ways to attract younger drivers. One approach that started a few years back was for the DOT to run an apprenticeship program for 18-21 year old drivers to get them qualified enough for interstate movement. Another is offering CDL training programs to high school students and offering mentorship programs to help new drivers transition into the industry. Companies out there are also looking into untapped geographies. Services such as DriverFly, Custom Trucker Recruiting are built around supporting drivers as they transition into business owners to have them pull from their own communities.
Another interesting approach is leveraging the boom of ChatGPT and other advanced initiatives to develop AI generated dispatching support that ingests loadboard and/or TMS data and then builds ideal selection models and route planning solutions. This will increase driver efficiency and income to these companies that will, in turn, lead to more bodies entering the industry.
The US truck driver shortage is complex and will undoubtedly continue over the coming years. While there is no easy solution, industry is constantly evolving in terms of market rates, policy, and driver technology that will no doubt change the highs and lows to come.