American Trucking Associations says the driver shortage in the US has eased slightly, but remains near its all-time high.

“Based on our estimates, the trucking industry is short roughly 78,000 drivers,” said chief economist Costello said. “The good news is rising pay and other factors have helped the industry attract new drivers.”

“However, that influx is still not enough to make a substantive difference in the shortage – particularly in the long-haul, for-hire truckload sector, the part of the industry most acutely impacted by the shortage.”

Based on current driver demographic trends, as well as projected growth in freight demand, the shortage could swell to more than 160,000 over the next decade.

To keep up with demand, the industry must hire nearly 1.2 million new drivers over the next decade to replace those leaving trucking either through retirement or for other reasons.

In Canada, the driver shortage continues to expand and put pressure on supply chains and the economy.

Last month, Trucking HR Canada reported, vacancy data in the trucking industry for the second quarter of 2022 hit new record highs. Truck drivers reached a new record number of vacant jobs in Q2 – soaring to over 28,000, which is up from 25,560 in Q1. 

The Canadian Trucking Alliance has been warning policy makers that the driver shortage is one of the biggest threats to the Canadian supply chain and economic recovery and has been calling for a series of measures to improve the situation and ease capacity for Canadian businesses and consumers.

Click here to read ATA’s full report on the driver shortage.