PUBLISHER: The Load Star (www.theloadstar.com)
Thanks to higher rates, US trucking firms have posted revenue gains – but the going has got tougher for them, owing to personnel and equipment bottlenecks.
The struggle for trucking firms to recruit and retain drivers is going from bad to worse. According to the American Trucking Association (ATA), the driver shortage has climbed to more than 80,000, soaring above its previous estimate of a shortfall of 61,500.
The pandemic has caused many drivers to retire, and backlogs in training and obtaining licences have hampered the entry of new drivers, the ATA found.
At the same time, the need for drivers has kept climbing. It has jumped 30% over 2020 levels, reported ATA chief economist Bob Costello, who pointed out that the shortage affected primarily the long-haul truckload sector.