Shortage Of Truck Drivers Is Hurting Industry, Officials Say

Truck drivers are in short supply, according to industry officials.

Truckload Carriers Association Safety and Policy Director David Heller said the industry is seeing a shortage of 30,000 drivers nationwide.

“It’s an epidemic at this point. Carriers aren’t hauling freight not because they don’t have equipment, not be because they don’t have freight. It’s because they don’t have the drivers to haul them,” said Heller.

Heller said the average driver is getting older, and that more technology and regulation is causing some of them to leave. Superior Halvor Lines Recruiting Director Debbie Landry said that the average age of their 300 drivers is 52. She said they’ve taken steps to improve life on the road.

“Our trucks are top-of-the-line equipment. Most of them have refrigerators and inverters in them, so that works kind of as a mini-apartment for the driver,” said Landry.

She said they also hired a wellness coordinator in the last year to improve driver health and keep them on the road longer.