The trucking industry has faced numerous uphill battles in the last year. From ELD changes to increased tariffs on overseas products causing some downturns in freight to the continued reliance on online shopping and two-day shipping. However, one of the issues that continue to plague the industry as a whole is the overwhelming lack of new drivers joining the industry.

Since the beginning of 2018, there has been a growing lack of not only interest in trucking as a career among younger prospective drivers but also amongst the public in general. Couple that with a workforce that is continuing to retire at a rate that isn’t being slowed and you have a problem that does not seem to be alleviated anytime soon. However, while there is a lack of new truckers, the industry continues to grow.

Industry competition doesn’t seem to be slowed by the lack of new truckers, which means that industry is operating under capacity but above expectations. 66% of all companies surveyed within the industry reported they have experienced growth in the last year, even with a lack of drivers, and 38% of those companies expect continued growth within the year.

While it would seem that the lack of incoming drivers would adversely affect the growth of the industry, that doesn’t seem to be the case. However, it is affecting the way freight companies approach hiring and tracking down new truckers including offering benefits previously unimaginable to those who already work within the industry.

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