What is Causing the Truck Driver Shortage?

| Truck Driver Shortage Causes 180,000 160,000 140,000 120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 Drivers needed this decade by reason . Over the next decade , the industry will have to recruit nearly 1,000,000 new drivers into the industry to replace retiring drivers , drivers that leave voluntarily or involuntarily , as well as additional drivers needed for industry growth . • E = Drivers leaving before retirement Drivers pushed out of the industry . Industry growth Retirements 93 % Compensation Women represent only 7 % of the truck driving workforce . With deregulation in the 80's , total employee compensation fell 44 % between 1977 and 1987 . Today , drivers get paid about 40 % less than they did in the late 1970s , but are twice as productive as they were then . Time away from family & friends 130000 125000 120000 115000 110000 105000 100000 95000 90000 85000 75000 80000 70000 65000 60000 55000 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 50000 45000 40000 35000 30000 25000 20000 Nowadays , people don't want to spend too much time away from their families . Companies need to optimize their routes in order to increase satisfaction . 15000 44 % As of April 1 , 2022 , 10,276 commercial vehicle drivers have tested positive for marijuana use . By the same time in 2021 , there had been 7,750 violations . That's a 32.6 % increase year over year . Other drugs are used as well . 10000 5000 Living on the road is one of the most difficult part of the job . 7 % 5000 4,953 Sources 5,187 Increased cost a combination 7,940 Marijuana 29,511 women in trucking Pre & post - trip inspections , detention time , loading and unloading , paperwork , refueling and downtime between runs . of living with low is stagnant wages common reason for dissatisfaction . Unfair fines one Amphetamine job Unfair treatment in 5000 4,904 or of the 2028 Driver drug violations 5,082 Scam 31,085 2029 8,765 https://www.trucking.org/ Strict hiring standards and new regulations contribute to the truck driver shortage . 100000 2030 800000 600000 400000 200000 Cocaine 60 % of women in the field have reported feeling unsafe while on the job in the last year . Female drivers reported an average of 4.4 on a scale from 1 to 10 regarding how safe they felt . At current trends , and if the current truck driver shortage isn't addressed quickly , the trucking industry will face a 160,000 driver shortage by 2030 . Even worse , 20 % were threatened with a weapon . Driver shortage estimations by The issue is that new entrants into the industry didn't keep up with the demand for goods , the wave of retiring Baby Boomer drivers , new regulations and other factors . 2020 2021 2022 Total 2030 Turnover rate Turnover for truck drivers in fleets with more than $ 30 million of annual revenue was 92 % at the end of 2020 , meaning roughly 9 out of every 10 drivers will no longer be working for that company in a year . 5000 1,418 1,462 2,696 TÏÏÏ † TTTTT 10,276 Other reasons for driver shortage 92 % All other Too much work unpaid Low wages 12,764 11,275 Methamphetamine Strict regulations 11,731 19,401 70,872 Not all companies treat drivers with respect and dignity . $ Due to the nature of the work some drivers face unexpected fines , often paid out of their pocket . FREIGHTECH Some drivers face unpleasant experiences with scammy companies that do not fulfill their promises . https://time.com/6116853/truck-driver-shortage-supply-chain/ https://www.smart-trucking.com/truck-driver-shortage/ https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov/Resource/Index/monthly-report-May2022 freightech.us