ATA casts ‘driver shortage’ as worsening

Overdrive

The American Trucking Associations on Wednesday asserted that the gap between the number of available, qualified drivers and the number of drivers needed by fleets is widening. The ATA report forecasts what it considers a “driver shortage” will reach 160,000 by 2028, if current trends continue.

ATA estimates there will be a driver shortfall of 59,500 this year, down slightly from its estimate of 60,800 for 2018, but well above the 2017 estimate of 50,700. 

The estimates of the shortage are based on “simply the difference between the number of drivers needed to move the amount of freight that is out there and the supply of  drivers,” says Bob Costello, ATA chief economist. He says the driver shortfall is isolated mostly to the long-haul, over-the-road segment.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics this year published a report questioning the efficacy of the widely accepted notion that there’s a shortage of truck drivers. Overdrive coverage of the issue has likewise found other ways of interpreting the supply and demand for drivers in light of pay trends and other factors.

ATA’s “Truck Driver Shortage Analysis 2019” report cites an aging driver pool, regulations, the tough lifestyle of the driving job and an inability to attract female drivers to the industry as key reasons for the lingering “driver shortage.” Also cited are other blue collar job options, such as available jobs in the construction industry, and restrictive regulations like hours of service.

ATA advocates for driver pay increases, more at-home time for drivers and lowering the interstate driver age to 18 as primary courses of action for mitigating the shortage. Transitioning military personnel to trucking careers and working to alleviate dwell times at shippers and receivers can also help mitigate the perceived shortage, ATA says.

In the long-term, ATA argues automated truck features that make the driving job easier could help attract new drivers to the industry. Long-term, “well beyond the dates of this report, one could envision an environment when the longer, line-haul portion of t ruck freight movements are completed by autonomous trucks,” ATA says in its report. But “motor carriers should not count on this being an option for many decades.”

https://www.overdriveonline.com/ata-casts-driver-shortage-as-worsening/

5 thoughts on “ATA casts ‘driver shortage’ as worsening

  1. Of course this is all bullshit, you go to truck stops,you cant find parking, this is nothing more than a ploy to hire invaders to bring the cost per mile down so that scumbag fleet owners can stuff more money into they’re filthy pockets.

    They refuse to pay a fair wage to American Nationals, simple as that. They have screwed the pooch to the extent that they have no other choice to keep price of food to where Americans can actually afford to eat, we can barely afford to now, but these Joo loving scumbags want to hang on to their yachts and jets

    Watch the truth below

    https://youtu.be/XmouiuqKiLY

    1. watched it….. pathetic that drivers are paid so little….lol @ ‘women are the answer’ per that klemp guy…what a maroon

      1. I’ll post an interesting article, women are starting to come aboard big time. No way will they like the shit pay.

  2. Sure it is! So they can drive down the price.

    I was looking into it. Not long haul but working and training to do low boys and wide loads on cascade range roads.
    The cost to do it and need for a rig to test is a hoop at best.
    The low pay of over the road driving was a nonstarter.
    The people who will hire greenies are not reliable for payment and their.rigs.are.not legal half the year. Or more.
    The year to three to get better comes at a.cost of safety and possible fines.
    Then the check may bounce or even better…. Be for less and see if you catch it so they can rob your due.

    Id rather shoot at the russian d!ckweeds. And dont forget the pak//idi towel guys.

    If your still reading…
    I was in a lowes dist driving a terminal tractor once. Lol Pushin carts. Pups to 53’ers. I was ripping an empty. Notice something. I came to an unreasonable stop. From 15mph.
    Something is going down from the drivers door of a nearby truck.
    Turned out it was the fattest woman id ever seen. At least 630/699. Maybe more.

    I watched for a few.seconds.

    I laughed because i thought something was wrong not because it looked hard to get down. It looked like two heavy people getting.out at the same time. Then another on their shoulders.

    She was like the women in the birthday cards at that mall store with all the shit nobody ever actually needs….
    Looked it up. ……..Spencer’s gifts? . . But they arnt the same now? What ever.

    They used to sell birthday cards with moldy obese woman featured on the front cover…..

    She could have her own card.

    Point is. Im stoned. And…. Uh…..
    Your still reading.

    Check out that video about the “silencers” . It might become my newest best video to explain to people who dont care to actually learn.

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