Why is there a truck driver shortage in the United States?
A Problem of Too Many Truckers There’s no trucker shortage; there’s a trucker retention problem created by the poor conditions that sprung up in the industry in the wake of 1980s deregulation.
Why is the number of truck drivers expected to decrease?
During the past 15 years, the trucking industry has struggled with a shortage of truck drivers. As this report highlights, the driver shortfall is expected to fall slightly by the end of 2019 from a combination of slower economic growth and a small bump in supply.
Do truck drivers make good money?
Average truck driver pay per mile is between 28 and 40 cents per mile. Most drivers complete between 2,000 and 3,000 miles per week. That translates into average weekly pay ranging from $560 to $1,200. If you drove all 52 weeks in a year at those rates, you would earn between $29,120 and $62,400.
Are truck drivers in demand?
A record 80,000 additional truck drivers are currently needed to meet the nation’s freight demand, according to the American Trucking Associations, with the driver shortage expected to surpass 160,000 in less than a decade.
How many truck driver shortages are there?
80,000 drivers
The American Trucking Associations, one of the largest trade bodies, estimates the industry is some 80,000 drivers short of the workers needed to keep goods moving freely this year—up from an estimated shortage of 61,500 drivers before the pandemic.
Who is the largest trucking company?
100 Largest Trucking Companies
| Rank | Revenue (millions) | Company Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24,800.00 | United Parcel Service |
| 2 | $2,900.00 | Yellow Freight System |
| 3 | $2,700.00 | Schneider |
| 4 | $2,654.10 | Roadway Express |
How much freight is moved by truck in the US?
According to Bob Costello, chief economist for the American Trucking Associations (ATA), trucks move roughly 72.5\% of the nation’s freight by weight. Trucking also moves $791.7 billion in gross freight revenues, which represented 80.4\% of the nation’s freight bill in 2019, according to ATA data.
Do truckers carry guns?
Contrary to what many drivers believe, there is no federal law that prohibits truck drivers from carrying guns in their trucks as long as they adhere to local and state laws. However, many carriers prohibit company drivers from carrying weapons. He was to pick up a load at a nearby steel plant.
Why are truck drivers in such high demand?
The trucking industry does have an exceptionally high rate of driver turnover. This is due to a combination of reasons, including poor training and preparation, drivers who are ill-fitted for the lifestyle and the job, and especially low pay.
What is causing of America’s truck driver shortage?
What’s Causing the Shortage? The ATA has concluded that the high average age of America’s truck drivers is a major factor in the shortage. In other words, drivers are aging out, and there are simply no new employees to replace them. Part of the blame for that can be placed squarely in commercial vehicle carriers’ hands.
What’s causing the trucker shortage?
One of the largest issues influencing the driver shortage is the demographic of the current workforce, primarily age, and gender. The trucking industry relies heavily on male employees, 45 years of age or older. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average age of a commercial truck driver in the U.S. is 55 years old.
What does the truck driver shortage mean for me?
From the employee perspective, a driver shortage today in the massive trucking industry in the short term means more competition between trucking companies for established veteran drivers. That means current truck drivers with a good driving record will be in higher demand , which means trucking companies will be competing for their services.
Is the logistics driver shortage a good thing?
According to the ATA, the shortage of drivers is a good thing for the logistics industry. All economists feel that levels of the supply chain, even the end consumer need to reassess the need for low transportation prices versus the need to offer adequate compensation to the labor force.