The need for unexpected truck repairs can be a nuisance, but we can get trucks fixed up and back on the road very quickly these days. Repairs are not the big concern for the industry these days. The biggest problem that is faced is a lack of trained drivers.
The commercial trucking industry has been struggling with driver shortages, which are so drastic that even trucking schools across the nation are forced to actively recruit passive candidates. That is, they are trying to appeal to members of the workforce that had never considered trucking as a career, in a last ditch effort to increase enrollment numbers. Many have been forced to close down, not just because they can’t find enough students, but also because the educators are leaving when they find that the schools can’t support them on a fulltime basis.
Unfortunately, the lack of drivers has already had a big impact on the economy, and that stands to get much worse. Approximately 70% of freight, in this nation, is sent via the country’s highways, which means truckers are in high demand. According to current reports, the industry is already facing a shortage of 30,000 drivers. That number could climb to 175,000 within in the next ten years, if this trend continues.
As the number of instructors dwindles and baby boomers continue to retire, the schools are really having trouble turning out enough trained drivers to meet the trucking demands, which makes this the number one problem of the industry.
While new technology is making truck repairs easier, faster, and, in many cases, more affordable, a lack of drivers may result in trucks sitting idle for much longer periods of time than would be required for truck repair.
This can be a great career path, but that is a message that is not being received- or absorbed by the younger generations, which means the future truck drivers may be few and far between.