There's A Huge Shortage Of Truck Drivers In America — Here's Why The Problem Is Only Getting Worse

America is experiencing a shortage of truck drivers.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) estimates that the U.S. is short 30,000 truck drivers. Factors driving the shortfall include regulations, relatively low pay, and the fact that fewer young people are interested in getting into the profession.

90% of carriers said they couldn't find enough drivers that met department of transportation (DOT) criteria, according to a study cited by the ATA.

The turnover rate at large truckload carriers was 92% annualized in Q1, and was above 90% for the ninth straight quarter, according to the ATA. This compares to a low of 39% seen four years ago but is lower than 130% average in 2005.

Turnover refers to the rate at which drivers leave the industry and are replaced and the ATA reports this quarterly and annualizes the rate. "100% turnover doesn’t mean that every driver left," ATA chief economist Bob Costello explains.

"If you keep a driver for 90 days, the rate generally drops in half. However, there are a group of drivers that churn and they generally stay at a carrier for a short length of time (just weeks or a couple of months). Many drivers stay with a carrier for years."

"Industry carriers are rotating through the same drivers— meaning drivers jump from carrier to carrier with no great influx of new candidates into the driver pool," Gretchen Jackson, manager of recruitment at Con-way Truckload told Business Insider in an email.

Costello argues that the cold weather could have limited turnover and that it could rise and the economy improves and higher freight volumes put more pressure on the market.

What's causing the shortage?

Drivers are leaving because of industry growth, retirements, and the switch to other industries.

"We see our over-the-road (OTR) drivers leave to join other industries, particularly construction or less-than-truckload (LTL) truck driving, which provides a different type of schedule and work style than OTR driving," Jackson said. "Drivers want to make more money and they want more home time, so they leave OTR truck driving for careers that can give them that."

Changes to the hours-of-service (HOS) regulations in 2013 are also reducing driver productivity, according to Costello. "As a result, carriers have to add more trucks and drivers to haul the same amount of freight, thus exacerbating the shortage."