Truck driver shortage key part of supply chain problem

by Paul Holmes (paulh@talkbusiness.net)

It is never more evident than during the Christmas season that Americans want what they want when they want it, often without any notion of how it gets there.

Now, however, U.S. consumers are more conscious than ever of the complex system of organizations, activities, people and information called the “supply chain” that takes goods from raw materials to finished products delivered to the user.

It is estimated that Americans will spend more than $1.3 billion during the Christmas season, but they may not get what they want when they want it. Shannon Newton, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association, said, “This time, we should expect some empty shelves” as the result of kinks in the supply chain.

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/12/truck-driver-shortage-key-part-of-supply-chain-problem/

Truck driver shortage increases to 80,000; nearly 1 million new drivers needed over next decade

by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)

The driver shortage has risen to a record high of 80,000 amid traditional demographics challenges and issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA).

He said the shortage is determined based on the amount of available freight and the number of drivers needed to haul that. During the Great Recession, he noted a significant decline in freight demand led to a driver surplus.

The shortage is up from 61,000 in 2018, he said. However, the driver shortage declined in 2019 and before COVID in 2020 as freight demand softened.

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/10/truck-driver-shortage-increases-to-80000-nearly-1-million-new-drivers-needed-over-next-decade/