Addressing the retention crisis in the trucking industry

Shortage or retention: what’s the real issue in the industry?

Long-haul truckers are typically paid by the mile and spend weeks away from home. On top of that, they face a nationwide shortage of truck parking and are often denied access to restrooms at shipper and receiver facilities. These conditions contribute to the high turnover rate in the industry. As Pugh pointed out, no worker is willing to give away 20 extra hours of unpaid service, far from their family, just to solve such basic issues as finding a place to park.

During the discussion, Pugh emphasized that the real issue isn’t a lack of new drivers, but the industry’s inability to keep them. “Every year, lots of people enter the industry. The problem is they don’t stay… Our industry needs a lot of self-reflection and self-repair,” he said. He also stressed the need to move away from the persistent narrative of a so-called driver shortage.

Pugh’s comments are supported by the 2024 Driver Compensation Study by the National Academies of Sciences, which found that claims of a driver shortage contradict basic economic principles of supply and demand. Similarly, a 2023 study by economist Stephen V. Burks and his team concluded that no actual shortage exists. The U.S. Department of Labor also released a report stating that the issue isn’t a lack of drivers, but rather poor wages and working conditions. According to the report, any labor supply problems could be addressed by raising pay, Land Line reported.