Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/978416
46 commercial carrier journal | may 2018 With nearly half of drivers retiring over the next decade and freight volumes continuing to climb, trucking needs to attract a more diverse workforce built for the long haul. Here's what that might look like. BY LINDA LONGTON W hen it comes to recruit- ing tomorrow's driver workforce, the industry must "look at it from a holistic standpoint," says Phil Byrd, chief executive officer of Bulldog Hiway Express and former chairman of the American Trucking Associations. "One solution won't solve the problem." Not given its size: Trucking needs 890,000 new drivers over the next decade – an average of 89,000 per year – to replace retirees and keep pace with growth, according to ATA. An aging workforce and fewer younger entrants will make meeting that challenge diffi- cult at best, experts say. In the long-haul segment that faces the biggest workforce struggles, drivers on average are 49 years old, 93 percent male and primarily white, and most have been driving for 20 years or more. Compare that to the overall U.S. work- force, where the median age is 42 and about half are female. At the same time, trucking is failing to bring young people into the industry: From 1994 to 2013, trucking's share of 25- to 34-year-olds dropped by more than half. Given that 45 percent of drivers are expected to retire in the next decade, focusing recruiting efforts on truck- ing's traditional demographic will not meet the industry's long-term needs. Operational changes, such as driver- friendly shorter hauls to meet rising EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS IS THE FINAL INSTALLMENT IN A THREE-PART SERIES EXAMINING THE DRIVER SHORTAGE, MEASURING ITS IMPACT ON TRUCKING OPERATIONS AND EXPLORING METHODS TO MITIGATE THE CRISIS.