A lot has happened in the trucking industry since a surge in freight volumes outpaced the supply of drivers in 2018. A different group of factors have now combined to create a repeat scenario.
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) two years ago estimated the driver shortage at 60,000 in the over-the-road truckload market – a segment that has a total driver population of between 550,000 and 600,000, according to Bob Costello, ATA chief economist and senior vice president, who presented an economic update at the McLeod Software user conference last month.