The American Truckers Association cities approximately 48,000 unfilled trucker positions,  reports saul Gonzalez. Since 2005, the freight driver shortage has grown from 20,000 unfilled positions to 70,000 and some reports suggest the shortage may worsen to more than 170,000 vacancies by 2025.Meanwhile the average of age of today’s trucker is 49, and more truckers are aging out and reitring from the indsutry.

This contributes to a growing bleakness among the trucking industry, causing turmoil among shippers and logistics providers.

Over the next decade, trucking will need to hire 890,000 new drivers or an average of 89,000 per year.

Roughly half, 45% of demand for drivers comes from the need to replace retiring drivers; industry growth is the second leading driver of new hiring accounting for 33% of the need.