Truck Driver Shortage

With more deliveries in demand than ever before, professional truck drivers are incredibly valuable. Why then, are we seeing a sudden decline in truck drivers in the past few decades? Check out these few reasons why truck drivers are becoming a rare commodity. 
 

• Lost appeal. While the appeals of being a truck driver may have outweighed the challenges in the past, truckers are now facing difficulties on the road that turn potential drivers off of the trucking career path. Long hours, tough road conditions, lack of sleep and strained relationships can all be strenuous on a professional driver, and some have decided that the benefits do not outweigh the barriers.
• Aging drivers. For so long, the US has depended on a pool of professional drivers who are now facing retirement. As this generation of truck drivers prepared to leave the force, very few are stepping up to take on the responsibility. Whether this comes from lack of experience or lost job appeal, there is most certainly a gap in professional drivers that needs to be bridged.
• Male majority. According to NPR, only 6% of professional truck drivers are women. If the professional job pool were to attract more women to truck driving, perhaps the truck driver shortage would not seem so detrimental.
• Strict qualifications. Finally, the qualifications of a truck driver have become increasingly rigid over the years. Between the added licenses, the time and effort put into to each step of the hiring process, and the added expenses, fewer and fewer people are looking to become professional drivers. There are even more obstacles for owner operators, which includes the added expense of purchasing your own rig and taking care of all maintenance and repairs individually.