Photo from driverrecruiting.com
Truck driver shortage is a big issue that the trucking industry is facing. A 2019 report by the American Trucking Association says that the trucking industry was short 60,000 drivers in 2018. If this current trend holds, the driver shortage expects to more than double within the next decade.
So, what is the leading cause of the driver shortage? The biggest factor in this issue is the demographic of the current workforce. According to the Bureau Labor of Statistics, the average truck driver is a 55 year old male. In the next 10-20 years these truckers will retire and the industry will be hit hard if new, young truckers are not hired.
Another demographic issue is that women truckers only make up 6% of commercial truck drivers. In order to help replace the overwhelming amount of retiring truck drivers within the next 10 years, trucking companies will have to start appealing more to women. Truckers have been stereotyped to being only manly jobs only for men. That needs to change.
The trucking industry is changing and so are women’s roles. Women are choosing their education and career over staying at home and raising a family. Trucking companies need to make women feel welcome and make it clear that women are not only wanted but needed.
