Despite the number of truckers surpassing an all-time high of 3.5 million in 2017, the U.S Census Bureau still is concerned about the trucker shortage issue.
American Trucking Association Chief Economist, Bob Costello, said โItโs not that the number of truck drivers has been in a constant decline. Itโs just that itโs not growing enough to match up with what has been needed with demand.โ
Bob Costello attributes the increase in truckers overall to wage increases and media coverage on the trucker shortage. โYou put those two things together [and], I think it did help, but Iโd be shocked if I ran the numbers and it wiped out the driver shortage,โ Costello said.
Even with the increase in the number of people in the trucker profession, many industry leaders still feel that we are nowhere near a solution to the trucker shortage.ย Many donโt consider there to be a driver shortage at all.ย Those that do not consider there to be a shortage say if Truck Driving was a recognized skilled trade, with a proper career path, and pay tied to skills development and longevity there would be plenty of drivers to fill all the needs.ย
Jeremy Reymer, founder and CEO of Indianapolis-based recruitment management company DriverReach, agreed, saying that the shortage is still a serious issue and that the Census Bureauโs findings are no reason to cheer, โDing-dong, the witch is dead.โ
Reymer also thinks that the minimum age being at 21 years old to drive interstate is an unnecessary hindrance for getting younger people into the profession. โNaturally, thereโs this barrier to entry,โ Reymer said. โWeโre not helping people establish a career right out of high school.โ
Reyner does, however, see minorities and women playing a big part in solving the trucker shortage issue.
โ[There is] a lot of opportunities to improve the image of the industry when you add women to the picture,โ Reymer said. โI just think thatโs so important.โ
