Driver Shortage Tops ATRI's Industry Concerns for Fifth Straight Year
In October 2021, ATRI's annual survey put workforce issues at the top, with diesel technician shortages making the top 10 for the first time.
In October 2021, the American Transportation Research Institute released its 17th annual Top Industry Issues report. It found trucking's biggest worries centered on people: finding drivers, keeping them and paying them.
The report, released October 24, 2021, at the American Trucking Associations' Management Conference and Exhibition in Nashville, drew on more than 2,500 industry stakeholders. Respondents included motor carriers, drivers, suppliers, driver trainers and law enforcement.
The rankings
For the fifth year in a row, the driver shortage ranked first. ATRI said it drew more than four times as many first-place votes as the No. 2 issue, driver retention. The top five were:
- Driver shortage
- Driver retention
- Driver compensation
- Lawsuit abuse reform, up three places
- Truck parking
The diesel technician shortage entered the top 10 for the first time, in 10th place.
Drivers made up nearly a quarter of respondents, and their priorities differed. Among drivers, compensation and truck parking tied for the top concern, and detention and delay at customer facilities ranked second.
Industry context
ATRI tied the results to the supply chain strain of 2021. "Coming out of the pandemic, with the increased demand for goods and other pressures on the supply chain, getting and keeping drivers has been a real challenge industrywide," ATRI President and COO Rebecca Brewster said. She added that the crunch also showed up in high rankings for compensation, parking, infrastructure and detention.
ATA Chair Sherri Garner Brumbaugh, president and CEO of Garner Trucking, said the report not only ranked the industry's concerns but also laid out stakeholder-ranked strategies for addressing each one.
What it means for drivers and fleets
The gap between carrier and driver priorities was the clearest takeaway. Fleets ranked recruiting and retention highest. Drivers pointed to their paychecks, finding a safe place to park and the hours lost waiting at docks. Carriers looking to keep drivers had a road map: pay, parking and detention ranked highest with drivers.
The technician shortage's arrival in the top 10 was also a warning for maintenance shops. With equipment in high demand and trucks harder to replace, keeping existing units on the road depended on having enough skilled technicians to service them.