Truck driver turnover spikes

by Truck News

ARLINGTON, Va. – Large U.S. fleets saw driver turnover jump 9% in the third quarter, setting the highest mark since 2018 at 96%.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) reported the churn at small carriers also rose 6% to 73%.

“Counterintuitively, we saw turnover rise even as the freight demand was relatively soft,” said ATA chief economist Bob Costello. “While turnover rose at both small and large carriers, the reasons were quite different. Large carriers reduced the number of drivers they employed, in keeping with lackluster freight levels, but smaller carriers added to their driver pools, increasing their number of drivers by 1.9%.

“During the first two quarters of the year, larger carriers added drivers, but in the third quarter they started right-sizing their fleets. Conversely, smaller companies increased their driver pool in the third quarter for the first time this year.”

Turnover at less-than-truckload carriers dropped four points to an annualized rate of 9% – the lowest level it has been at since the final quarter of 2017.


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  • there is a driver shortage when we can pay a driver 100000 per year and freight is moving for 4bux per mile

  • There is no driver shortage. There is a shortage of PAY and RESPECT! Stop treating truck drivers like they are a bunch of monkeys and pay them what they deserve!

    After all, these are the folks who are busting their butts to keep food in our grocery stores, gas at our gas stations, and everything else that we need to survive. Thanks to all the hard-working drivers out there! God Bless each one of you!

  • The current pay model does not work. The large trucking companies thought that forcing everyone to E logs would solve the shortage as truck drivers would switch from smaller to larger trucking companies. The crack down on Incorporated truck drivers will not work much better. The result will be more truck drivers leave for other jobs unless pay goes up 25 to 30 percent plus a better safety net when truck drivers get hurt and sick.