Trucker Shortage

Over the last couple of years, the trucking industry has been struggling and facing many challenges. According to the American Trucking Association, more than 70% of cargo is moved via truck across the United States. As that number continues to grow, the number of truck drivers is drastically decreasing. Each year, more and more truck drivers are retiring and many trucking companies are doing what ever it takes to entice new employees; whether its offering higher wages and/or full benefit packages. However, there is still a shortage of qualified truck drivers. Another challenge the trucking industry is facing is the new ELD Trucking Regulation that was implemented in December 2017. The new regulation states that all trucks must be equipped with ELD (Electronic Logging Devices) which prevents truckers from being on the road for extended periods of time. It will replace the old manually written log books. There has been mixed reviews about the ELD with truckers saying the device is really expensive and there is no flexibility. Compared to last year, trucking rates have increased between 15% - 28%. The trucking industry is hoping to find a solution to this concern that seems to be growing and creating congestion throughout the United States. CSL will continue to monitor this situation and keep you posted on further developments.