There's A Huge Shortage Of Truck Drivers In America — Here's Why The Problem Is Only Getting Worse en-us Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 -0500 Sun, 28 Dec 2014 01:05:31 -0500 Mamta Badkar X-Trucker Thu, 28 Aug 2014 19:28:03 -0400 Quit paying drivers as contractors and pay them like employees so they get benefits and taxes withheld and pay them their expenses. Meals get real expensive eating on the road every day. Truck stops charge for showers and parking, That all adds up everyday. There is probable $1000 a month in incidentals and excess expenses that come out of the drivers pocket VS if he had a regular job where he was at home every night. TJStarfire Thu, 28 Aug 2014 18:53:50 -0400 As just a driver I can tell you that with all of the unpaid time you are responsible for the rig and loads while not moving makes this a below minimum wage job Pray4Peace Sun, 17 Aug 2014 15:00:20 -0400 Some prisons have are new plantations because the prisoners work as no-skill labor and are treated like slaves. However, when the prisoners learn a skill, and learn that they must show up every day and be responsible, it benefits us all and saves tax dollars once they are released--as most will be. California saves $millions every year because of their fire camp programs. Prisoners live in the camps, clear brush, and help professional firefighters during fires. A fireman told me the prisoners work really hard and are very valuable to the professionals. Pray4Peace Sun, 17 Aug 2014 14:51:06 -0400 Whatever their political party, Presidents have little control over fuel cost. Any president would want to keep it low because that ups their popularity. Pray4Peace Sun, 17 Aug 2014 14:48:41 -0400 Lots of variables. Fast food jobs allow workers to attend college courses (if they can make the tuition). Pray4Peace Sun, 17 Aug 2014 14:43:43 -0400 Is it easy to get into the union? Will Swift, Werner, and other big outfits hire union drivers? I'm asking because I don't know. I do know non-union truck drivers have few benefits, low pay, bad working conditions, and are not valued by the big companies. A union may be the only way to improve that. When I worked for a major movie studio in the 1980s, the studio wanted what seemed like a reasonable change. As I recall, the drivers would drive as needed after delivering goods to a site, rather than being paid to wait all day. Employees parked outside the studio (meaning the lower paid who had no input) had their tires slashed by Teamsters. That enforced the rough reputation of the Teamsters, but it was long ago and I do appreciate they make conditions better for drivers. Pray4Peace Sun, 17 Aug 2014 14:28:53 -0400 It is commendable that you were able to get your MBA while trucking. However, times change. The time, cost, and class availability for getting college degrees make it harder these days. Truck driver rule changes also make it harder to work toward a different career in spite of on-line classes. Companies should invest in their drivers so they have a career path after their bodies quickly wear out from trucking. Pray4Peace Sun, 17 Aug 2014 14:15:11 -0400 Trucking quickly wears out bodies and the pay and benefits aren't very good. Training for a CDL is expensive. I believe the job is unfairly classified as low-skilled. Non-professional drivers often make conditions unsafe for truck drivers and cause accidents that result in good drivers losing their jobs. Look around, almost every item you see was in a truck at one point. We need to treat drivers more fairly. I am not a truck drive but after 20 years of a long commute in the LA area, I have sympathy for them. Gary's Job Board Fri, 15 Aug 2014 03:50:14 -0400 My company works on this problem everyday. The black cloud of a truck driver shortage has hung over the trucking industries head since the beginning. There is a picture of my grandfather standing next to his truck, in 1929, in this article. <a href="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" ></a> The sign on the truck says "the trucking industry employs five million people". Even back then we were trying to justify our existence to the rest of the world. The industry was only a 20 years old at that point. I own a trucking safety company and a driver job board. I noticed this week: the companies that are most interested in safety products: don't care about my recruiting services. The companies that are more interested in finding drivers: don't care about my safety training products. Bob Howell Thu, 14 Aug 2014 11:49:42 -0400 So more pay is the answer? Wait I thought it was getting home more often? Or was it new equipment. No, it was better management. Right? Let's do some simple math. Every transportation company in the industry has a normal distribution of 1/3 good, 1/3 average and 1/3 poor performing drivers. Well guess what? This same normal distribution exists in the driver applicant pool as well. It's the bottom 1/3 of existing drivers that turns over at a rate of 260% per year. The solution is, to stop hiring from the bottom 1/3 and start hiring only from the upper 70% where the 80% retention is. When you do, you'll go from 20% retention to 80% retention of new drivers immediately and guess what? No trucks on the fence either. Bob Howell JOBehaviors Tony Creamer Mon, 11 Aug 2014 09:12:13 -0400 And yet, he doesn't hold the record for the highest all-time fuel cost, which was under baby Bush's administration......... Clint Carlson Sun, 10 Aug 2014 10:25:12 -0400 So maybe it's time the US got serious about high speed, electric trains across the country and not just for human passengers. If we could have a coast to coast network of high speed, safe, cheap, clean ground travel, certainly cargo could be part of that plan as well. The issue IMO is the inability to get such nationwide infrastructure in place given our current political climate. John Ranalletta Sat, 09 Aug 2014 08:39:01 -0400 So, why can’t I find people who are happy to drive my trucks? What if the help-wanted ad on the back of the trailers read: Sleep in your trucks in the best highway rest stops and off ramps Enjoy the least healthy life style possible ever Enjoy long separations from home and family Be responsible for the care and maintenance of millions of dollars of equipment and merchandise Be on duty, driving, loading, unloading and waiting an average of 80 hours/week (4,000 hrs/year) All this and more for an average $49,540/year ($12+/hr) – IF YOU CAN KEEP THE RIG ROLLING BECAUSE WE PAY BY THE MILE!!!! fatcat Thu, 07 Aug 2014 13:00:29 -0400 Thats why they call em "lot lizards" Harrison Wed, 06 Aug 2014 21:10:41 -0400 <a href="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" ></a> We're doing our best to innovate the industry and alleviate it of this problem! Harrison Wed, 06 Aug 2014 21:09:53 -0400 <a href="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" ></a> We're doing our best to innovate the industry and alleviate it of this problem! Harrison Wed, 06 Aug 2014 21:08:24 -0400 <a href="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" ></a> We're doing our best to innovate the industry and alleviate it of this problem! gb Wed, 06 Aug 2014 16:17:59 -0400 What you should run is an article explaining what it would take to get all these vacancies filled. Better pay for the millinials lots of high tech gadgets and internet/online access to things and run things as how can this position be more exciting. I work in North Dakota as an Oil Field truck driver I started that with only 3 months of OTR experience and could have started with zero expereince straight out of trucking school, no Im not joking. I amke over 100,000 a year and still get 1-2 days off a week my choice. If this industry and all the big boys keep destroying the wages than you can keep writing these silly articles but nothing will change. Simply economics supply and demand, but even after years of talk any serious moves to make the worth worth the responsibly are non existent. This isnt about putting criminals into trucks. It's about valuing your labor and at this point especially for oTR drivers the pay vs. commitment involved is a joke. No one should come into this industry and let it get worse. Let Americans pay for the true costs of what it costs to get all the things they have become used to getting at their stores. I hoep America gets to the point where you really can't get things becasue no one will work under these conditions. Let it get worse until things change in the direction of those who actually do the real work, not the office people who collect hundreds of times what we make for simply organizing some infrastructure. It's that simple. big d Wed, 06 Aug 2014 02:21:03 -0400 No shortage when theres not a single spot to park at 1000 pm in this great land!!!!!!!!!! nhelaf Tue, 05 Aug 2014 14:34:39 -0400 Gee, have you ever thought that its the capitalist system that's keeping the cost of freight down? Why on earth would somebody pay more to move freight when somebody can undercut them? That is competition, the cornerstone of capitalism. You say all these bad things about liberals but you have no clue about your own party's stance on economics. Deregulation is what screwed everything up, when the market opened up for competition, that is why the cost of freight is so low. Do some homework and maybe pick up a book for once. j haamen Tue, 05 Aug 2014 14:16:08 -0400 Our Driver are home every weekend and home many times during the week and average 1000k take home for a 5 day work week with full benefits too .......just saying ....yes We are looking for good drivers for the midwest metro areas of Michigan OHIO,Indiana, check us out www.FOURSTARTRANS.COM T Wade Tue, 05 Aug 2014 14:04:12 -0400 All of the excuses and the blame put on everything from government regulations, CSA, lack of no parking, any assorted of many other excuses. All but the truth that the transportation industry wants cheap pay per mile and free labor for anything outside of driving. Drivers went to Iraq and other war zones to drive for $100,000 for the year while being shot at or road side bombs and it shows that drivers will put up with the dangers of the road and the life of a driver for the right amount of money. Drivers want more money, home time, and respect and as the industry is finding out that drivers are tired of all of the excuses and the lies and will refuse to work within the present day pay rates and providing free labor. Too bad no one within the transportation industry has enough common sense to see that. B.Mac Tue, 05 Aug 2014 13:34:20 -0400 I'm confused,your talking about a Drivers Union?,we all ready have one its called the International Brotherhood of Teamster,now before all those who drank the kool-aid served up by the Corporate Greed Mongers let me tell you what your missing,why do you think LTL only has less than 8% turnover,were highly paid,80K a year is the norm,fully paid top shelf benefits,4 weeks paid vacation,5 days paid sick days,here's the catch you need to be good,real good,maintain tight schedules,make/break sets,pull doubles(not as hard as it looks),like myself pull Triples (wee bit harder), we don't take Sh!t,we do turns,lay downs( paid hotel plus Per Diem) have most the weekend off and sleep in our own beds,these jobs exist and most company's are hiring,that's what a Union will do for you!. Jason Todd1 Tue, 05 Aug 2014 12:46:54 -0400 Let me get this straight: In post #1, you specified "Democrats and Libs" and then in Post #2 Your complaining that "well I never said [xy] I just said [abc]" Really? Are you that immature?? CwbinTn Tue, 05 Aug 2014 02:11:16 -0400 As a 10 year veteran of this industry, I can tell you that beyond a SHADOW OF A DOUBT THAT THERE IS NO DRIVER SHORTAGE BUT A MONEY TO THE DRIVER SHORTAGE INSTEAD. Drivers aren't getting enough money to make life on the road worth it. That translates into higher shipping rates and less broker percentages and more money going to the trucks and that is the bottom line cuz common sense says so. over and out. Logical View Mon, 04 Aug 2014 22:39:17 -0400 That was very accurate, and to add to it, the demand for both the unions and the driver safety regulations come from the fact that not only are these people not getting paid appropriately, but companies are continuing to squeeze the drivers up to the breaking point. bob starr Mon, 04 Aug 2014 19:12:56 -0400 Add a comment...2 things you should never discuss with drivers,politics and theology.nuff said there.get the wages up,work to improve living conditions,standardize rules and regs nationwide,and start treating drivers as numbers instead of humans. been in this business for 42 years and do not care how many business degrees you have.until you improve the aforementioned topics it will not get any better.drivers are not 3rd class citizens they are rhe reason all of us have what we need when we need it.;put that in your pipe and smoke it ladyinapete Mon, 04 Aug 2014 18:04:40 -0400 When will those of you who have no clue about the trucking industry learn! There is no driver shortage! If companies would figure out that compensation and job conditions would improve drivers would be lining up to work for said companies. No driver wants to hop in a truck only to be paid what amounts to less than minimum wage along with being treated like a peon. Add to that the fact that many companies refuse to back their drivers up on things like detention times, refuse to step in on the lousy hours of service regulations that drivers must endure that requires them to many times drive tired in order to make deadlines when they should be fighting the FMCSA to get regulations that drivers can work with so they are able to drive hours when they aren't tired yet deliver on time, lumper fees that receivers force to be paid when the freight on trucks is the receivers to begin with and many more issues! These types of problems just add to the growing problems that are making many very eligible drivers find employment elsewhere instead of staying on the road. Mamta Badkar, maybe you should research before you write an article. Start with an organization called OOIDA-Owner Operations Independent Drivers Association. They can give you facts you can't get elsewhere! REAL FACTS! you are a brain dead retard Mon, 04 Aug 2014 17:18:11 -0400 So just like with every post you make, you demonstrate that you are a completely brain dead retard. Everything you just wrote is complete garbage. If you knew anything about economics you would realize that this is a classic example of supply and demand affecting truck driver salary. But since you are so hopeless ignorant, let me help you with some basic economic knowledge. There are 4 basic laws of supply and demand: 1. If demand increases (demand curve shifts to the right) and supply remains unchanged, a shortage occurs, leading to a higher equilibrium price. 2. If demand decreases (demand curve shifts to the left) supply remains unchanged, a surplus occurs, leading to a lower equilibrium price. 3. If demand remains unchanged and supply increases (supply curve shifts to the right), a surplus occurs, leading to a lower equilibrium price. 4. If demand remains unchanged and supply decreases (supply curve shifts to the left), a shortage occurs, leading to a higher equilibrium price. Now, clearly 2 and 3 do not apply here. However, both 1 and 4 do since there is both a shortage of truck drivers and an increase in demand for this job. So according to the laws of supply and demand I just provided, truck driver salaries must increase. Since you dont have a basic understanding of what most people in high school get in an economics course, I would suggest that you try and take a basic economics course at your local community college. Most of them even have tutoring available for slow, mentally deficient people such as you. a2madmac Mon, 04 Aug 2014 16:31:26 -0400 If I went to the GM dealer and said I want a brand new Corvette and here is twenty grand. He would tell me no that's not enough money. Is that a shortage of Corvette's . RedBeard Mon, 04 Aug 2014 15:51:43 -0400 By definition, an OTR driver cannot be home every night. If you pull a load out of Philly, and take it 8 hours, there is no way you're making it home that night for dinner. You're working a 16 hour shift, not counting loading and unloading times. Anyone who can make it home at night is a short haul driver, and they typically get paid even less. TW Mon, 04 Aug 2014 15:47:36 -0400 You've pretty much nailed it my friend. Well done. RedBeard Mon, 04 Aug 2014 15:43:52 -0400 A driver's union would be way too powerful today. That's why the Reagan administration worked so hard to devalue the same union in the 80's. Could you imagine if, say, 50% of the drivers were organized, and they went on strike? It would send some of those white collar criminals into a panic stricken nose dive out of their corner office window. It would be the perfect place to start to get the middle class humming again though. If a driver's union stood in solidarity with teachers, or teamsters, or any other laborers, their demands would more likely be met. This would severely impact CEO pay. That is why this won't happen. RedBeard Mon, 04 Aug 2014 15:37:45 -0400 Private sector companies using prison labor was deemed unconstitutional a really long time ago. Also, why would I want my tax money going to house and feed some company's employees? Now, if you want to take nonviolent offenders and put them through CDL training while incarcerated, that makes more sense. When they get out they can find employment. We already pay for convict job training, we might as well tailor it to the future needs of the American economy. RedBeard Mon, 04 Aug 2014 15:33:09 -0400 What control does any president have over fuel costs? It's all driven by speculation. Every president since Reagan has had a higher fuel cost during his tenure than the previous president. You see, there is a finite amount of useable oil on the planet, that would be the supply. More people use more of it everyday, that would be the demand. Everyday there is less available oil, and more oil used, so the price goes up. I think I learned that pillar of capitalism in 7th grade. I'm no fan of Obama, or any president after Carter for that matter, but your argument is just an incredible logical fallacy. RedBeard Mon, 04 Aug 2014 15:26:30 -0400 The state of the trucking industry in this country is depressing. My parents both spent 40+ years in the industry, my mother a dispatcher, and my dad as a diesel mechanic, and I have seen the degradation of the profession. There was a point just before the end of the Reagan administration that a good portion of the drivers were organized. As Reagan did with most of the organized labor, he worked to devalue the drivers unions. It wasn't quite the hammer that was used on the air traffic controllers, but there was a round of deregulation and incentives to become owner-operators. It was sold to the drivers as though they were going to be empowered to become small business owners. Controlling their own destinies with just them and their truck. Between predatory lending practices targeted at the drivers, and the exponential increase in overhead from fuel and maintenance, many were forced to go back to low paying corporate jobs just to keep the loans on the trucks they couldn't afford above water. A generation of children saw their parents struggle in the industry and decided it wasn't a viable career for their future. Now the industry is mainly made up of immigrants (legal ones, that isn't the topic here) that are willing to work for less, and have driven the wages down for the last 15 years. The simple answer to problem is to reinvigorate the truck drivers unions. Pay and benefits would become a percentage of the industry rather than the lowest wages publicly traded corporate entities can get away with paying. Kids will see their parents providing for them in the industry, and more will choose it as a future. Now, of all of the industries in America, the one corporate entities want to see organized the least is truck drivers. The power of that type of union would be to difficult to ignore politically and economically, and if they ever decided to stand in solidarity with another industry's union, they would wield massive influence. If the drivers stopped driving for one day, it would equal the economic disruption of a major natural disaster. So if the solution isn't ever going to even be discussed, there really isn't a point in posing the issue in the first place. no, he is right Mon, 04 Aug 2014 14:53:16 -0400 Just 90k? Heck, if you are just going to make stuff up and lie why not say you know truckers working 3 days a week making $150k? His numbers are spot on. The median pay for truckers is $46k, which means half of all truckers make less than that salary. In fact, 90% of all truckers make less than $57k, a far cry from your absurd 90k <a href="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" ></a> FactCheck Mon, 04 Aug 2014 14:49:04 -0400 No. Make dumb statements and the intelligent people in the room are obliged to point out that you are an idiot. This is mainly done for your sake, since you are clearly not at a mental level to safely operate in the public sphere yet. Truckie-D Mon, 04 Aug 2014 14:41:03 -0400 Sorry to disappoint, but there is NO driver shortage -- only a shortage of people willing to put up with the wages and (particularly) the working conditions. Someone can be trained to drive a truck in a matter of weeks, yet, even with 5+ million (!) unemployed, they can't even give the job away. Any industry that has a turnover rate in excess of 90% has a serious problem. In trucking, this has gone unheeded for years. If you want the real story, Google my blog, and have a read. Are you serious? Mon, 04 Aug 2014 14:40:31 -0400 "However, Obama does own the highest fuel cost over the last 4 years" You know, when you set the timeline so tight that it only applies to 1 administration, you make it difficult for the other presidents to compete You are a moron Mon, 04 Aug 2014 14:37:04 -0400 A. Clean air is nice to have. Have you read what the air quality is like in China? That's what happens when you don't regulate air pollution properly B. Part of the reason these drivers are getting paid so little is because our business culture has allowed executive pay to climb higher disproportionately to the rate for the workers that are actually doing the work of the business. It's not uncommon for the execs at these trucking companies to be lamenting the fact that they can't get people to take the jobs at the rates they are offering, but then taking their private jet to head off to their 3rd home and spending their million dollar salaries. If you think they get paid that because they are worth it, you're getting fooled again. It has been well-documented that CEO pay is not proportional to results or even experience. Once you are in the club, you stay in the club. The game is rigged, and the sooner you recognize that, the sooner you will be able to stop being the mouthpiece of the very people who keep you from achieving the success you believe you will some day enjoy. maskedavenger Mon, 04 Aug 2014 14:30:52 -0400 Boy, make a statement about the government regulations and of course, the Obama apologist come out in force. Never, repeat, never did I mention any administration, just regulations. Are all of you Obama supporters, scratch that, followers, all mind numb robots? However, Obama does own the highest fuel cost over the last 4 years. You Know Mon, 04 Aug 2014 14:22:34 -0400 You know those clean air standards you bitch about were put in place during the Bush admin, right? maskedavenger Mon, 04 Aug 2014 14:12:33 -0400 Gee, according to many, the simple problem is just increase wages. Now, I’m all for that, but when you have the major retailers and manufacturers, i.e. cronies capitalist that have bought and paid DC, won’t increase freight cost, then you have a problem. Also, if you don’t have a problem with cost of ALL GOODS going up 5-10%, then raise the driving rates. Major problem is that many drivers used to be independents, but with HIGH cost of fuels and in California, the new “air quality” standards for Tractors, you’ve added huge cost to every trucker out there. See, the democrats and libs always say, repeat, say they’re looking out for the little guy or working man. But, when it comes down to it, they are only looking out for the little guy or the worker they believe deserve to be looked out after, i.e. green tech sector and software/hardware sector. All other areas-construction, transportation, energy, etc... Those are all evil industries and don’t deserve a break. My Solution Mon, 04 Aug 2014 13:56:27 -0400 Use nonviolent prisoners to drive trucks. They can work off their sentence. Say they got five years for possession of an controlled substance. Give them a truck! Work as a driver for three years and you'll get two years off your 5 year sentence. On the weekend, they have to return to jail. When they complete their sentence, some of them may go straight and work as drivers others will return to a life of crime. I dont get it? Mon, 04 Aug 2014 13:52:26 -0400 I understand why it looks like a crap job to BI readers but to all of the kids coming out of high school that seems like a good opportunity. Certainly beats fast food jobs. Samuel Colak Mon, 04 Aug 2014 13:44:17 -0400 Maybe everyone should start working out why google is working on the driver-less vehicle - if you thought this was for cars, you'd be seriously mistaken.... Hope someone starts waking up and reading the fine print soon! Neverhome Mon, 04 Aug 2014 13:08:40 -0400 Let's see....the OTR driver works two weeks straight away from home and family eating cheap unhealthy food, sleeping about five hours per whenever he can, waiting hours at all hours to get a load or reload without any compensation, subject to the whims of every weigh scale or state patrol for a shakedown, driving in all kinds of weather under always stressful conditions, with few benefits...yeah that's worth about $600.00 per week net. No thank you. Sterling Mon, 04 Aug 2014 13:08:16 -0400 Pay them more, and start laying down more rail. There is no reason for trucks to be doing long haul on highways. Big John Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:52:51 -0400 Your point may still be valid. But your math is a little conservative. 46K is a very low number for OTR drivers. I know guys working 6 days a week home every night making near 90K. TW Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:44:10 -0400 We are a long, long ways from autonomous self-driving vehicles being safe to use on our roads. A while back BI had a very good article on what it actually takes to keep those google self driving cars going successfully on the completely and totally mapped out roads that they are being tested on! Move one of the stop signs or traffic lights 6 inches one way or the other and the whole process slows way down. A pile of snow covering over the curb where the pre-installed map is telling the car where the curb should be changes the equation entirely. It is great what they are doing and developing with this technology, and they will continue to make huge strides forward, but to deploy this technology safely across the public domain is a long way off. tradewind Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:29:00 -0400 The oil industry has taken up all available train capacity in the northern half of the US at a high price - displacing everything else. The trucking industry has gone bananas payig higher rates for those who have been shut out of the rail but still need to move somthing. Demand for drivers has sky rocketed with the increased demand and of course truck rates have gone up accordingly. Your regular haulers have been pilfered from the cheap paying trucking companies. irony Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:24:29 -0400 i thought the same way but...ironically it may be cheaper to still use human drivers. as that's a lot of fixed capital and maintenance (unless depreciation laws change) to put onto a company's books if UPS ditches all of its long haul drivers and switches to google-bots. jp32 Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:21:09 -0400 Exactly! I recently saw a sign on the back of a truck advertising for drivers, offering pay of 42 cents per mile. If you multiply that out at an average of 55mph (hard to maintain even on long voyages, esp since trucks often have lower speed limits), that comes to about $23/hour at 40 billable hours per week, and $46K per year. Note that this advert had no mention of pay for loading or unloading (which are often unpaid), benefits or anything else. If that lame deal is good pay, I'd hate to see the deals that they are trying to beat with that advert. It is no wonder that there is a shortage. Once again, it is back to the F'n MBAs trying to make the numbers look good this month, and ignoring all the aspects of actually building a sustainable business, reputation for quality and timeliness, etc. MPCT Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:20:36 -0400 Bet this is the first part of transportation effected by widespread use of driverless vehicles. alex13 Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:17:31 -0400 Yeah trains work great until they have to take a right or left turn at an intersection. You still need trucks to transport from the rail depots. not quantum physics Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:15:56 -0400 "There's A Huge Shortage Of Truck Drivers In America" The net pay stinks, the working conditions are awful (sleep deprivation + being away from home), the pressure is enormous (act-of-god traffic delays? gets taken out of the driver's pay), so the actual drivers get screwed by their dispatchers at every opportunity given the unequal bargaining power. Sign me up! think first Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:13:56 -0400 trains don't go your local walmart or target stores, still need trucks ... Yet Another Article Promising to Raise Driver Wages Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:12:09 -0400 BI has run several of these articles over the years. All repeat the same mantra of a shortage of drivers and wages per hour suck. The root cause is corporate America management LOATHES blue collar workers. Truck drivers need a union to offer counteract the exploration of workers. Are drivers every movement tracked 24/7? Are speed and braking tracked in real-time? Who pays tickets? NAFTA allows Mexican drivers into the USA so they take away jobs. Why not ship by rail? Why not give driving jobs to the gang members coming across the border? Let'em setup their own routes to all the cities. The demand is THERE! JohnHQ Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:10:31 -0400 Maybe upgrade the hookers at the truck stops, I mean these guys are sick and tired of crack using hookers. Jason Todd1 Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:08:12 -0400 This is a freaking tough job. Your spinal cord gets torn up, you're gone away from home for long amounts of time, the gas, idiot car drivers, low pay, etc, etc. DMZ Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:03:43 -0400 "ran the road" back in the '70s before I got my MBA; at that time, and as a member of the Teamsters, I was able to live and save to pay for grad school running the road is not for everyone- long hours & bad weather take their toll trains Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:01:55 -0400 There is also this new invention called a train that can haul 5000 times the capacity of a single truck, and still only requires 1 "driver"... Fred Finkle Mon, 04 Aug 2014 11:58:45 -0400 With modern technology drivers are tracked every second while they are on the road and have a dispatcher up their ass 24/7. Who wants that? Aqua Buddha Mon, 04 Aug 2014 11:58:13 -0400 Look my family for twenty years ran on of California's largest Freight Agency, this business is tough, and hard. The drivers are Underpaided and OVERworked. As a result many are over weight, some of the more successful OTR crews are teams sometimes married couple. The burn out rate in the first two years is 50-60% because of isolation and low pay. For independent drivers the cost of fuel is always killing them as they must complete for loads with companies that can afford to dead head (come home empty). Pay them more and give them more time off Or go to Google and get a self driver. Of course the customer going to be pissed because there will auto delivery signatures, NO help unloading or loading and higher fees to cover the massive investment in new tech! Focushawk72 Mon, 04 Aug 2014 11:53:58 -0400 Working 100 hours per week at $10/hr doesn't appeal to most Americans? stockpro2016 Mon, 04 Aug 2014 11:48:18 -0400 We need robot truck drivers ASAP!!!! Robots don't need a salary, sleep or food. adultintheroom Mon, 04 Aug 2014 11:37:56 -0400 Whenever a company complains they cannot find workers, they really should say 'they cannot find workers for the wage they're currently offering.' Bump the wages and you'll see a shortage disappear....Swift has it correct..."The company says it will now invest in drivers and that it will spend more on wages.' Uhm you are just now 'investing' in drivers? Guess they aren't plug in inputs at the lowest cost, like you thought. They are human workers.