Driver shortage remains industry’s top concern: ATRI

by Today's Trucking

The driver shortage once again emerged as the trucking industry’s top concern, based on an annual compilation by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).

This is the fifth straight year in which the driver shortage was listed as the industry’s top concerns, garnering four times as many votes as the second issue, driver retention.

Driver compensation rounded out the top three, followed by lawsuit abuse reform (up three spots this year), and truck parking.

The diesel technician shortage appeared on the list for the first time in 17 years of conducting the analysis.

About a quarter of respondents were drivers, and they ranked driver compensation and parking availability as their top concern (tied), while delays at customer facilities came in as their second most pressing concern.

“The ATRI list of top industry issues provides a critical snapshot of the challenges impacting our industry at any given moment,” said ATA chairwoman Sherri Garner Brumbaugh, president and CEO of Garner Trucking, “and this year is no exception as supply chain constraints dominate the nation’s headlines. ATRI’s annual analysis not only captures the industry’s sentiment on the criticality of each of these issues but also maps out a course for addressing each through the stakeholder-ranked strategies.”

“It really is no surprise that truck driver-related issues – notably the driver shortage and driver retention – ranked so high on the survey. Coming out of the pandemic, with the increased demand for goods and other pressures on the supply chain, getting and keeping drivers has been a real challenge industrywide,” added ATRI president and COO Rebecca Brewster. “We also see the impacts of the current supply chain crunch in how highly issues like driver compensation, truck parking, infrastructure and driver detention ranked on the list.”


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  • The process of insurance for new drivers is no good in ont
    Overtime pay and a system of drivers pay based on weather local or O T R and years of experience on a hourly basis
    Need to happen E logs will push out another 5 to 10 percent of truck driver in Canada unless parking is a lot better at shipper and receiving Many people want to bring more cheaper drivers instead of gov provide insurance for new drivers and owner ops

  • The driver shortage once again emerged as the trucking industry’s top concern, based on an annual compilation by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).

    Again, the industry is chasing their tales. You can’t find solutions by talking in circles.
    The trucking industry and governments have to involve truckers and really listen to truckers if they want to get solutions and act on them.

  • Regarding driver shortage – Let’s start by saying that the company that I work for has very good benefits and pay and very happy to work for them. After 45 years of driving with zero CVOR infractions and one not at fault accident it is time to do the class A and air re-test. I have no issues with the physical portion other than I have to pay for it. My company is currently down two senior drivers and there are no new prospects. I’m leaving the company in November because I’m fed up jumping through hoops trying to keep up my license. The next driver is leaving December this year with the same issue and the third driver leaving in January 2022 same issue. The fourth driver is now talking about a career change in spring 2022. I have already found another job with same pay no nights, no freezing rain, no snow storms, no electronic logs and my G license is sufficient.

    Who has created the shortage certainly not the trained driver!!!!

  • Hopefully the driver shortage continues. We can get pass 15 bucks per hour finally. Let the cheap lumber load sit, destroy the brokers and the rate cutting sob. And shipper that does not pay enough should be dropped asap. They can then buy their own equipment for exorbitant prices then pay a professional driver his worth. Turn this crap around drivers.