Using Advanced Technology to Help Ease the Truck Driver Shortage (.PDF Download)
Trucking companies and training schools are pulling out all the stops in an effort to attract more drivers. Some are offering more competitive pay rates and full benefits packages; others are working to make the career more appealing to a broader pool of candidates (of the more than 3.5 million people who work as truck drivers, 90% are men and just 6% are women); and still others are experimenting with advanced technologies as a new way to offset the current shortage.
The truck driver shortage isn’t new, but the situation was exacerbated by the global pandemic. For 2018, the American Trucking Association (ATA) reported a total truck driver shortage of 60,800 in the U.S. At the time, that was a record high and up more than 10,000 from the prior year. Projecting out 10 years, the ATA was expecting the shortage to reach 160,000 by 2028.