Driver Shortage

No matter how many ways it is sliced and diced, one thing is certain when it comes to truck driver turnover: it is a difficult situation that has been going on for years and does not truly show any meaningful signs of abating, at least for now.

In the second quarter edition of its Trucking Activity Report, the ATA said that the annualized turnover rate at large truckload fleets is now at 99 percent, up two percent from the first quarter. This marks the highest point for driver turnover at large truckload fleets since the third quarter of 2012 and is slightly ahead of 2012’s annual rate of 98 percent.

Regardless of some tangible evidence of economic improvement, one related area continuing to come up short is finding and retaining qualified truck drivers. That sentiment rings especially true when looking at data released today by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) pertaining to truck driver turnover rates.

While the turnover rate at large truckload carriers dipped in the fourth quarter of 2012, the issue of finding and retaining qualified drivers remains a top priority for pretty much all carriers.

ATA reported that the annualized linehaul truck driver rate at large truckload fleets is intact at more than 100 percent for the second straight quarter in the third quarter.

While the truck driver shortage is far from a new development, a recently-released white paper by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) highlights that the current shortage is “acute and limited primarily to the truckload sector. And it added that long-term trends could lead to an even more severe shortage in the next decade.

A new report issued by the American Trucking Associations is aimed at helping fleets recruit and train qualified truck drivers.

This decline marked the fifth time in the last six quarters driver turnover has risen, with the rate declining during the fourth quarter of this year, which was preceded by four consecutive quarterly declines.

Following four straight quarters of increasing turnover rates for truckload drivers at large fleets, data from the American Trucking Associations (ATA) found that the turnover rate in the fourth quarter declined, albeit very slightly.

The American Trucking Associations said the turnover rate for this category hit 89 percent in the third quarter, following rates of 75 percent and 79 percent in the first and second quarter, respectively.

In its most recent edition of the Trucking Activity Report, the ATA reported that the turnover rate for over-the-road truckers hit 79 percent in the second quarter of 2011, marking the third straight quarter of increased turnover rates in the driver market.

The ATA’s Trucking Activity Report said that there was an annualized rate of 75 percent for large truckload fleet driver turnover, representing a 69 percent increase from the fourth quarter of 2010 and a 39 percent annual increase compared to the first quarter of 2010. The first quarter turnover percentage is at its highest level since the second quarter of 2008.

Truck driver shortages, a persistent dilemma for shippers seeking adequate capacity, are back.