Seth Udinski, FISM News
According to economic experts, the trucking deficit in the United States sits at 80,000 drivers, up from roughly 61,000. The numbers come as part of research analysis done by American Trucking Associations Chief Economist Bob Costello.
Costello explains in his findings,
We will be short roughly 80,000, just over 80,000 drivers, and to be clear that is the difference between the number of drivers we have out hauling freight and the number that we ideally need to haul freight. When you look at the spot market and truckload, freight has gone up enough, and essentially the number of drivers this year, across the board is flat. This is somewhat pandemic-related; we didn’t train enough drivers. It’s the traditional things we’ve been talking about for the last two decades. It’s the high average age of drivers, not enough females, lifestyle, and then you throw in some things that have exacerbated it.
Costello further explained that even though trucking executives are offering higher salaries and better benefits to attract more drivers, the gap between the need and the amount of truckers is widening. He also highlighted that while the numbers for drivers who are able to return home at the end of their shift is growing, a significant source of the widening deficit is a lack of long-haul and overnight drivers.
So this tells me this is all about lifestyle. Drivers that get home daily, nightly, those jobs are increasing. Where we are not adding drivers is the long-haul, over-the-road drivers. That’s where the problem lies.
The American Trucking Association predicts that the deficit could grow to 160,000 needed drivers by 2030, doubling the current need.