ATA economist says U.S. trucking industry needs 80,000 more drivers

More bs…there isnt a shortage of drivers…maybe really good drivers but drivers in general nope..retention issues are the problem by many carriers.. start paying in the drivers better and treat them better…top drivers won’t stay with a company who consistently lies to them..

 

We need 80000 less .

 

I think retention is a problem industry wide.....this isn't a lifestyle for the faint heart.

 

The ATA has claimed a shortage since it formed in the 80's. They were wrong 40 years ago, and they are still wrong.
Even the department of labor doesn't agree.

Is the U.S. labor market for truck drivers broken? : Monthly Labor Review: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

 

Another thread about a shortage that doesn’t exist.

 

Gotta Love the Anti Trucking Associations graph. 6 of the 8 years are in the future. I’d like to see their Stock Market predictions.

 

“The industry is raising pay at five times the historic average, but this isn’t just a pay issue. We have an aging workforce, a workforce that is overwhelmingly male, and finding ways to address those issues is key to narrowing the shortage."

So their economist beleives the following are problems
1. High pay
2. Aging workforce
3. Generally male

Ummm, im pretty sure #2 is sort of an issue, 1 is a good thing and

3, people get to choose what they do somewhat, males tend to higher pay more dangerous jobs women dont want, women tend towards jobs in care, thats just a general social trend and preference set. Its not an issue unless you beleive men and women are widgets with minor plumbing differences, news flash, we arent

 

2 years ago was when this was published. At that point in time, I would have agreed, or said it depends on who you ask. I'm not so sure at this point. You've got aging drivers who are retiring and this ain't that appealing for younger drivers. You've got like half a mil new CDLs dished out yearly, the question is how many stay? There is more demand for products than there ever has been because of increasing population and commerce and at some point, like now, things get unbalanced. I think the economy grew too big for its britches and I am starting to lean towards a shortage.

 

An 80,000 driver shortage, but what about a 150,000 warehouse worker shortage. If the warehouses had more workers, a truck driver wouldn't sit 8-10 hours to load/unload which would increase the number of loads that could be covered.