The U.S. supply chain continues to be hit: the shortage of truck drivers has reached 80,000! A record high!

According to the American Trucking Associations, the current shortage in the trucking industry has increased from 60,000 drivers before the pandemic to 80,000 now, a record high for truck shortages. Federal data shows that the number of heavy-duty and tractor-trailer drivers across the country, state and region is plummeting at an uncontrollable rate.

Based on current trends, the shortage could exceed 160,000 by 2030, even though truckers move 71% of the goods in the U.S. economy.

ATA chief economist Bob Costello said that truck transportation is currently facing challenges from many aspects, including early retirement of employees and the closure of driving schools and DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) due to the epidemic, which have pushed up the demand for truck driving and accelerated the shortage.

To keep up with demand over the next decade, the trucking industry will need to recruit nearly 1 million new drivers to fill gaps created by freight demand, projected retirements and other issues, according to the ATA.

The industry is increasing pay at five times the historical average wage, but this is not just a pay issue. The trucking industry was already facing an aging workforce before the pandemic, with the average age of long-haul truck drivers being 55 in 2018.

It is reported that in order to attract young labor, the Biden administration repealed the federal Driving Safety Act's ban on people aged 18 to 20 driving trucks between states and invested $1 trillion in infrastructure.

Editor✎ Irene/

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