Trucking industry professionals are worried about the future of the workforce amid a rapidly aging population of truck drivers — but many remain divided on whether current efforts to recruit younger drivers are working, or even enough to fill the gap.
That’s one of the key takeaways from the May TruckNews.com Pulse Reader Survey, which asked readers to rate their concern about the aging workforce. The average score was 73 out of 100.
It’s a reflection of a looming reality. According to Trucking HR Canada, between 2016 and 2021, the number of drivers aged 65 and older grew by 8.6% per year. In 2021, 24% of drivers were aged 45 to 54, 25% were 55 to 64, and 8% were 65 or older.
The survey’s written comments highlight how the retirement wave is being felt.
“The aging drivers is an issue as we are losing people that are able to drive safely and understand what the job requires,” one reader wrote.
Among the 91 industry professionals surveyed, 31.4% reported increased health-related absences or claims, 20% pointed to retirement-related turnover, and 17.1% cited higher training or mentoring demands. Still, nearly a third (31.4%) said they haven’t seen any impact yet.
While 65.7% of respondents said they and/or their fleets have taken steps to recruit younger drivers, some responses suggest those efforts may not be resonating with the next generation.
Recruiting the youth
“New generation [is] not really suited for manual labor,” one respondent said. “Only in it for the short term. No long-term prospects or goals.”
“The young drivers today do not want to venture away from home,” another added. “They want more money, easy money, and nothing that requires effort or manual work.”
“[Trucking] is in peril,” another response read. “Who wants a tough job with long hours that costs a lot to train for?”
Fleets have experimented with various strategies. Survey respondents cited promoting work-life balance (58.6%), offering training programs (47.1%), and assigning shorter/local routes (37.1%) as the most effective. But 18.6% said none of these have worked.
“Lots of drivers have quit trucking that are in their 50s because the reward-for-sacrifice ratio is not even close,” one reader wrote.
“Daily schedules aren’t as attractive as other sectors. Wages need to be competitive and reflect those unique schedules,” another said.
Lack of interest
When asked about the biggest challenges in hiring younger drivers, most fleets pointed to the lifestyle and economic factors discouraging interest. Lack of interest in longhaul driving was, indeed, the top concern (70.6%), followed by insurance costs for new drivers (50%), and negative perceptions of trucking jobs (47.1%).
“We lost them early,” one respondent wrote, pointing to the 21-year-old minimum for cross-border work. “They went into construction, retail, manufacturing. Once they are in those other sectors, develop commitments (personal and financial) over the four or so years, there are few good reasons to change their lifestyle and go to trucking…and we now reap what we have sown.”
Another reader added that a lack of interest in trucking among the youth is an issue because it isn’t promoted in schools as a viable career.
“There is this perception that you need to go to university and get a tech job and that the trades are not the way to go. This is an issue in all the trades, whether it is a plumber, or a mechanic or a truck driver. Don’t get me wrong, there is a need for higher education as it helps with all aspects of life, but don’t close the door on the traditional jobs. They are what keeps the world functioning,” another respondent wrote.
Safety concerns
Others argued that more experienced drivers are harder to replace because of their skills, and because younger entrants often aren’t staying long enough to gain them.
“I’m not to concerned about the aging population as I am about the inexperienced in the trucking industry,” one wrote.
“Just look at the caliber of drivers out there now and there’s your answer…the professional drivers are retiring, and the inexperienced, untrained ones take over,” another comment read.
“New drivers today seem to know all. They are very hard to train. Their inexperience cost us many ways. We hire them because we have no choice. My company pays well with all the benefits and there’s no takers. The old boys are all gone,” another reader wrote.
