It used to be commonplace for a truck to get 125,000 to,000 miles per year, he said. According to the beauru of labor and statistics the trucking industry outlook is positive, and growth of up to 21% is expected through 2020. In its most recent drivershortage report, the ata distinguishes between high turnover rates and a labor market shortage, but it also argues that the shortage is concentrated in the longdistance tl segment and empirically linked to high turnover. Truck driver shortage is raising prices, delaying deliveries, usa today added in april.
It is not news to truckers that semi trucks are becoming automated, meaning that trucks are being built to drive on their own. One proposed solution is to lower the age to drive big trucks across state lines from 21 to 18. Over the last 15 years there has been a steady increase in average driver age, rising from 45. Facing a critical shortage of drivers, the trucking. Fuel prices have risen nearly 10 percent in the first eight months of 2012, which will almost certainly. These are the trucking companies that closed this year. The average age of todays truck driver is 49 years old and many have begun to hang up their. However, in those crashes where the truck was the main cause of the accident, 87 percent were due to driver fatigue. Transit buses, paratransit shuttles, and refuse trucks also log high numbers of miles on average. Even so, trucking companies, especially truckload carriers, often have great difficulty finding, hiring and keeping drivers. This chart shows average annual vehicle miles traveled per vehicle by major vehicle categories in the united states. Intended as a compact reference, it is a compilation of statistics from the overall state of the industry to enforcement activity. Even with bonuses and benefit sweeteners, the shortage of truck drivers is so severe that congress is considering lowering the age for statetostate truck drivers to 18 from 21. 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, then that business becomes uneconomical and.
Fta skills shortage report may 20181 1 skills shortage may 2018 report summary 1 report summary 1. Professional bus and truck drivers are the industrys. At the beginning of 2014, a truck drivers salary was effectively lower than it was in 2000. Amid trucker shortage, trump team pilots program to drop. The driver shortage is occurring as truck productivity is beginning to slide, costello said, though they are not necessarily unrelated. What does teslas automated truck mean for truckers. Jul 14, 2018 manpower groups eleventh annual talent shortage survey shows that 40% of employers globally experience difficulty filling positions, with a 2 % increase from 2015 to 2016. New ata report takes a deep dive into the ongoing truck. Driver pay, lifestyle and time away from home are believed to. Apr 03, 2018 a bdouble trailer in australia with side panels allowing for side load.
Apr 26, 2018 the driver shortage has been going on for years, with baby boomers retiring and few millennials willing to endure hardships such as being away from home for weeks at a time on crosscountry. Analysts predict that 2018 is the year when driver wages will rise in a big way. Theres a shortage of 51,000 truck drivers nationwide, the ata says, up from 20,000 in 20 and 36,500 in 2016. Intended as a compact reference, it is a compilation of statistics from the overall state of the industry to enforcement activity, details on traffic violations and. The driver shortage has been going on for years, with baby boomers retiring and few millennials willing to endure hardships such as being away from home for weeks at a time on crosscountry. The truck driver shortage is expected to surge to 239,000 by 2022. Addressing the truck driver shortage with legislation. Bureau of labor statistics data dont back up the trucking industrys claims about a shortage of. 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 to longhaul drivers. What to do about the truck driver shortage tko graphix. Trucking industry trends show that, in addition to a shortage in qualified drivers, the need for drivers is increasing, further exacerbating the deficit. Why trucking is still americas number one job rts financial. I highly recommend the entire paper, but want to comment on some of the key findings all of the charts in this post are from the atri white paper the bottom line is that the u. Fmcsas 2019 pocket guide to large truck and bus statistics highlights the agencys role in collecting and analyzing data on large trucks and buses.
In fact, a total of 3 602 people have died in large truck crashes in 20. Atas costello projects out the driver shortage, and its a big number. Overcoming the millennial perspective as i mentioned above, many of todays truck drivers are retiring. He has proposed the developing responsible individuals for a vibrant economydrivesafe act. Senator todd young, a republican from the state of indiana. The american trucking associations, or ata, estimating a shortage of between 35,000 and 40,000 drivers, with new drivers entering the profession slower than older drivers are retiring. Pocket guide to large truck and bus statistics overview. The united states is struggling with a massive shortage of trucker drivers. Its been one of the more controversialexciting aspects of this industry given that it could threaten to take away jobs from truckers while simultaneously help the driver shortage deficit.
Feb 09, 2018 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, then that business becomes uneconomical and. If something isnt done to attract more drivers to the industry the shortage will have a huge impact on goods being delivered around the uk and beyond. The cold hard facts reveal that the demand for qualified truck drivers is increasing. Ata released its quarterly turnover rate numbers for the trucking industry, showing a decline of 11 percentage points in the third quarter for. Dean croke demand for cheap products is rising, and a national justintime delivery network has placed trucking companies under economic pressure to move heavier and heavier loads. May 28, 2018 daniel gollnick is a truck driver in melrose, wis. An aging fleet of drivers is one of the main reasons for the driver shortage. Of course, there are other reasons for the truck driver shortage, including the aging driver population and shared labor pools with construction and manufacturing. Trucking industry trends show that, in addition to a shortage in qualified drivers, the need for. Truck driver shortage persists, even after a year of wage gains.
And the truck driver shortage has persisted for at least a decade. Oct 23, 2015 there is a shortage of truck drivers in the united states. Amid the job losses of the past decade and the overqualified, inexperienced worker saturated job market, the trucking industry still faces a driver shortage. Jun 28, 2018 the united states is struggling with a massive shortage of trucker drivers. Dec 26, 2017 usa today towing a tanker full of milk from florida, professional driver joe woodson pulls off for eggs and coffee at a massive pilot flying j truck stop in west memphis.
Forthwith, truck driver turnover is happening on increased rates when truckers are in high demand. Ata says research paper made critical errors a truck as seen in a sideview mirror on a bridge over the mississippi river on i. The ata projects the driver gap will increase to nearly 100,000 by 2021. Decoding americas truck driver shortage in 5 charts. Truck driver shortage is on course to double in a decade. Those factors include an aging workforce, high driver turnover rates above 90% at present, reduced capacity as a result of regulatory changes, increasing freight demand. He did not take the bait on a question about elds creating this problem. Why theres a shortage of truck drivers in america huffpost. America has a massive truck driver shortage, the washington post declared in march. It is unclear why so many valuable jobs are being left vacant in such hard times.
No container or straight truck or trailer moves without, at some point, a truck driver. Ten percent were due to vehicle failure, while 3 percent were due to environmental conditions. The road transport industry is the backbone of the economy and plays an essential role in peoples daily lives. How the trucking industry will change in 2019 truckers. Nearly every period of economic growth is accompanied by a driver shortage, including the recovery that began in 2009. Not only do we face retirements, but there are fewer young people getting into the.
Jan 09, 2020 pocket guide to large truck and bus statistics overview. The driver shortage stems from several factors, according to sky harbors director of research michael salice. There are many reasons, including the mass exodus of boomers as they. Jan 09, 2018 an aging fleet of drivers is one of the main reasons for the driver shortage. Never mistake the terms truck driver turnover with the truck driver shortage. The bill would make it legal for truck drivers under 21 years of. Unsurprisingly, thats leading to a bidding war for qualified truckers among the big companies.
The chart below, taken directly from overdrives own coverage of the longrunning disconnect between the driver shortage mantra and driver pay rates, in part based on klemps data, illustrates. Jul 16, 2018 americas massive truck driver shortage may triple by 2026. The growing shortage of truck drivers has gotten the attention of u. The driver shortage stretches back a quarter century, and lately a runup in freight demand, staggeringly high turnover rates and waves of baby boomer retirements are compounding the problem. One outcome of this is that truck drivers, on average, are getting paid more. Manpower groups eleventh annual talent shortage survey shows that 40% of employers globally experience difficulty filling positions, with a 2 % increase from 2015 to 2016. Class 8 trucks, or semi trailer trucks, typically travel much further than any other vehicle type. Thats even though driver pay has risen, on average, in recent months. Atas costello projects out the driver shortage, and its. New ata report takes a deep dive into the ongoing truck driver shortage anyone that wakes up each day in a logistics job that centers around moving freight is more than aware of the fact that there is a significant truck driver shortage. In individual cities across the country, the same theme takes on a local flavor. Costellos data showed that turnover rates in the industry last year were about 87 %, but in the less than truckload sector, it was 9%. The two key cost centers, fuel and driver wages, are expected to increase in 2012.
Experts the driver shortage is the result of an aging workforce, high turnover and increasing freight demand. Posted friday may 08, 2020 in business, labourhrdriver shortage, news releases federal data is supporting the canadian trucking alliances recent findings that, despite being an essential service, the trucking industry is far from immune to the economic shocks brought on by the covid19 crisis and that federal aid is required to provide. The american trucking associations reports the annual driver turnover for large truckload carriers reached a whopping 90 percent this year, and it projects a 50,000driver shortage by the end of 2017. Driver shortage ripples across trucking industry wsj. And the ata estimates that the industry needs on average 100,000 new drivers each year over the next decade. Given the key role of trucking to commerce, so is the economy. The wall street journal recently reported on the need for 48,000 truckers in an industry of 800,000. How the trucking industry will change in 2019 truckers training. Truck driver pay set to rise in 2018 spec on the job.
Of the hundreds of thousands of driver jobs created in the last six years, with more than a two to one ratio, those drivers are entering oneto100 truck fleets, he said. Much of the current driver shortage can be attributed to retirement. The hgv driver shortage is limiting the haulage industrys ability to deliver high quality services. More than 33 percent of class 8 trucking miles are driven empty because of a shortage of truck drivers. Unskilled labour in south africa erich laubscher medium. In 15 percent of the cases, there was a driver recognition factor, and in 16 percent of the cases it was a driver decision issue. Any time a motorist shares the roadways with 18wheelers or large trucks, the possibility of an accident is a realistic possibility and can be fatal. Aging truck driver work force a major issue in filling. The median salary for a truckload driver working a national, irregular route has risen by 15% since 20, a survey.
With a shortage of 175,000 drivers, the industry is in for a lot of hurt, costello said. I have to agree with a lot of what tom t statesi recall in 1989 the big cdl conversionoh the driver shortage crisis well that has been going on now for 30 years. Oct 26, 2017 its a couple hundred dollar difference, but still it shows that wages really have not meaningfully increased to address the shortage, said linkedins chip cutter. Over the past decade, forhire driver pay has increased but at. He estimates the shortage of otr driver to be about 50,000. The driver shortage is currently estimated at 35,000 lgv drivers 2. Truck driver shortage nationwide leads to high demand for jobs in green country duration. Operational costs of trucking glostone trucking solutions. Trucking industry was short more than 60,000 drivers in. A shortage of truck drivers that has been simmering for years has reached a full boil, causing anxiety from small factories to the fed. The bureau of labor statistics estimates that the average age of a commercial truck driver in the u. Truck driver shortage and forecasts 2019 i am zeus. Truck driving accidents causes, fatalities, statistics and.
According to the federal bureau of labor and statistics, the average professional truck driver age is 55. Ata says research paper made critical errors a truck as seen in a sideview mirror on a bridge over the mississippi river on i70 in st. The shortage is most prevalent in the long haul sector of the transportation industry, in which freight is hauled long distances and where drivers may be away from home for six to eight weeks. Truck drivers are the basic unit of transportation capacity and the glue that holds supply chains together. Pocket guide to large truck and bus statistics fmcsa. Unfortunately, there arent enough millennials signing up to be truck drivers. While the economy and demand for our services are good, our industry continues to face the reality of a shortage of drivers. Increased truck driver pay lowers turnover rates in 2018. Its a couple hundred dollar difference, but still it shows that wages really have not meaningfully increased to address the shortage, said linkedins chip cutter. Trucking industry struggles with growing driver shortage. Americas massive truck driver shortage may triple by 2026. Despite a muchpublicized shortage of qualified drivers, truck driving remains one of the fastestgrowing occupations in the united states.
272 1287 43 597 1196 1250 1372 56 1440 401 1448 163 136 1062 891 901 500 1604 1422 1405 652 73 1133 771 158 943 570 871 1015 782 1047 767 1374