The trucking industry may not be facing immediate driver shortages, but a weak and inconsistent pipeline of new drivers and technicians entering the workforce is emerging as a new concern.

This is according to Lindsey Trent, co-founder and president of the Next Generation in Trucking Association (NextGen), who spoke at the Best Fleets to Drive For conference in Charlotte, N.C., earlier this week. “There’s just a lack of focus on building a pipeline, a workforce for the industry,” she said.

In 2025, the American Transportation Research Institute said the average age of U.S. truck drivers was 47 years old, and retirements are accelerating rapidly and will continue to do so in the next decade. Meanwhile, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) is expecting a driver shortage of 160,000 by 2030.

Even among Best Fleets to Drive For participants, the driver pipeline appears to be aging. CarriersEdge CEO Jane Jazrawy said in her presentation that survey demographics in 2026 “stopped trending younger” after showing signs of improvement the previous years, when more under-30 drivers were completing questionnaires for carriers’ evaluations.

“I have a feeling that it’s because the new entrant programs are almost done,” she said, adding that many CDL providers were shut down this year as part of FMCSA’s enforcement efforts. “The new entrants were way down this year. Obviously, how many new entrants are you going to bring on in this economy? But we really, really noticed a shift in that.”

Fleets continue to face shortages of both qualified drivers and diesel technicians, as well as other pressures affecting the existing workforce, such as English proficiency requirements, concerns around non-domiciled CDL holders, health issues, drivers lost to the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, simple dissatisfaction with the industry, and more.

At the same time, competition for labor is intensifying, as other industries are raising wages and targeting the same talent pool, Trent said.

She added that younger workers, particularly, are now increasingly questioning the value of traditional college pathways: “Gen Z, they’re really questioning, ‘Hey, do I want to go to college? Do I want to get all this student loan debt, come out for a job that AI might take over and make $30,000-$40,000? Or what about the skilled trades? What can I do with my hands that I don’t think AI is going to take over anytime soon, where I don’t have to go to college, get student loan debt, and can start working right away.”

Even so, Trent believes trucking is still often introduced too late, frequently as a second or third career option rather than a first choice. She added industry has to make more of an effort to reach out to children while they are still in middle and high schools, when they start thinking about what their future could look like.

A white paper found that without industry involvement, only 25 out of 1,000 students enter the trucking workforce. When companies engage directly — through school visits, facility tours or hands-on experiences — that number rises to 80. Interest in the industry also increases significantly under those conditions, with up to 600 out of 1,000 students considering careers in trucking, compared to just 250 without industry involvement.

But because most U.S. carriers cannot hire drivers younger than 21 for interstate operations, many fleets have historically avoided engaging with that age group altogether.

After asking how many carriers do “touch‑a‑truck” events, visit schools, or train 18‑ to 21‑year‑olds, Trent pointed to the lack of hands in the room and said, “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Let’s think about that age gap. We’re missing an opportunity as an industry, and we have got to embrace this, because I do believe as well that this is the future.”

How can carriers engage better?

She also pointed to regulatory and funding changes that could help expand the talent pool. The Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program ended in November 2025, but the industry has pushed for its extension while backing the proposed Drive Safe Act, which would make the model permanent

“Any carriers today that would like an 18- to 20-year-old to be able to hire them and cross state lines and put them through this apprenticeship program will be able to do that … as long as it passes,” she said, adding the bill has gained bipartisan support and grown from six to 25 co-sponsors.

She added that Workforce Pell funding could also support the entry into trucking by covering training for high-demand careers such as CDL programs. However, the requirements — including a minimum of 150 hours over eight weeks — may force some community colleges to extend existing programs, even though they already meet hour thresholds.

Beyond drivers, Trent said the industry must also address shortages in technical roles, including diesel mechanics and specialized positions such as transportation refrigeration unit technicians, which remain largely invisible to students despite offering strong wages and career stability. “There’s hardly anybody coming through the woodwork for that,” she said.

Trent added that fleets cannot rely on training providers or government programs to solve workforce challenges. Instead, they should actively participate in workforce development by engaging with schools and communities.

That includes inviting students to tour facilities, participating in career fairs, speaking in classrooms, and supporting apprenticeship pathways. Even what seems to be small efforts, such as bringing a truck to a school event or serving on a school or college advisory board, can have a big impact on how young people see the industry, Trent said.

And companies will benefit, too. She cited research showing that companies that support employee volunteerism and community engagement can see turnover drop significantly, while also improving productivity.

Exposure is also helping reshape how the industry is viewed among students. Many enter programs with negative assumptions about trucking, viewing it as low-paying or undesirable work.

Patterson High School trucking program

One example of that is Patterson High School Trucking Program in California, started by NextGen’s co-founder, Dave Dein, to address the driver shortage.

The program, now in its ninth year, is part of a broader supply chain and logistics learning pathway that includes a working warehouse, where students help manage and distribute supplies across the school district while learning the ins and outs of how freight moves.

Within that structure, students can also take part in a 210-hour CDL program that combines classroom instruction with hands-on training, 30 simulation training hours, backing exercises and safety procedures.

Students practice backing with using a golf cart with a small trailer, take part in distracted driving exercises, and use impairment-simulation tools like ‘drunk-googles’, while also learning about health, wellness and soft skills required for leadership roles, Trent said.

To hep support the scalability of such programs, NextGen formalized the curriculum into a guide hat other schools can adopt, with students typically completing behind-the-wheel training after graduation through partnerships with community colleges or private training providers.