LOWELL, Ark. — The driver shortage has risen to a record high of 80,000 amid traditional demographics challenges and issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA).
“This is an over-the-road, for-hire truckload problem,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. Private and less-than-truckload fleets are facing hiring issues, but the shortage largely comprises long-haul or over-the-road drivers.
He said the shortage is determined based on the amount of available freight and the number of drivers needed to haul that. During the Great Recession, he noted a significant decline in freight demand led to a driver surplus.
The shortage is up from 61,000 in 2018, he said. However, the driver shortage declined in 2019 and before COVID in 2020 as freight demand softened.
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