Trucking recruitment normalizes after wild pandemic era
According to the American Trucking Association, the estimated professional driver shortage has decreased to 78,000 as of October as compared to the number of 80,000 in 2021. There has been a notable push to recruit truck drivers with massively increased wages and companies are paying more attention to drivers’ needs - including safer working conditions and addressing parking issues.
While the “driver issue” cannot be simplified as “there are not enough people who want to drive trucks”, there are several possible reasons it continues to be a challenge in the industry.
Demographics: There is an aging population of drivers, and younger people may not be as interested in pursuing careers as drivers.
Lifestyle: Being a truck driver can be a demanding job with long hours on the road, which may not be appealing to some people.
Compensation: Drivers may not feel that they are being fairly compensated for their work, which can lead to a lack of interest in the field.
Regulations: The trucking industry is regulated by the federal government, and certain rules and regulations, such as hours of service limits, can make the job less appealing to some people.
Technology: The increasing use of automation and self-driving trucks could potentially reduce the need for human drivers in the future.
By addressing these problems, companies have been able to tackle each of these issues by diversifying their workforce, advocating on behalf of drivers with local and state government, and implementing new technological advancement in-cab on on-person for better safety precautions.
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