“It’s not that the number of truck drivers has been in a constant decline. It’s just that it’s not growing enough to match up with what has been needed in demand, “ stated American Trucking Association’s Chief Economist Bob Costello. In fact the ATA believes that the trucking industry is still short 50,000 drivers.

For the trucking industry specifically, the issue may run a little deeper that just not having enough truckers to fill the available need. For instance, the driver shortage tends to mainly focus on a lack of long-haul or OTR drivers, not just any licensed driver. These types of position are historically more difficult to fill simply due to the idea of being away from home for longer periods of time. Enticing new drivers in the door where they may have to commit being away from home for a week or more at a time is a hard sell. In addition, the trucking industry faces additional obstacles such as federal laws that prohibit potential candidates between the age of 18 to 20 from driving Class 8 commercial motor vehicles across state lines, cutting into the already depleted talent pool available. The main problem here is that this removes the possibility of students looking at trucking as a long-term career right out of high school.

However, the Census Bureau has indicated that truckers who are under the age of 35 represent more women and minorities that those over the age of 55. With that said, even today over 90% of drivers are men. This simply means that the presence of more diversity in the industry in the younger generations is promising for the trucking industry in the long-run but as it sits today, the driver shortage is still more than prevalent. With online retailer giants like Amazon and Walmart constantly pushing for faster deliveries in a instant gratification society, the push for more logistic personnel will continue to be a struggle for distribution and logistics companies nationwide. For more details on what industry experts have to say, please check out www.ttnews.com.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, and Trillium Technical. With approximately 100 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2017 and 2018 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

Unfortunately, we are starting to feel the wrath of a very real Driver shortage. According to USA Today and thehustle.co, the United States is currently experiencing a Driver shortage of 51,000 Drivers nationwide. This has resulted in a 6-10% increase in shipping costs. Guess who gets to pay the difference? That’s right, we do! In fact, with more and more Baby Boomers retiring every year and no one replacing them in the trucking industry, it is projected that by 2021, the US will be experienced a shortage of more than 100,000 Drivers.

In an effort to combat the shortage, shipping and logistics companies have had to increase wages by about 10% just in the last 18 months but are still struggling to fill seats. In fact, Tyson, the nation’s leading chicken distributor has stated that in order to offset a $200 million increase in shipping and distribution costs, consumers will begin to see increases in their products.

Even with investing more and more money into driverless trucks and other technologies in the coming years, it just won’t be enough to offset the increase cost in locating and retaining Driver talent. In addition, consumers will continue to become more reliant on e-commerce giants such as Amazon for their goods in lieu of visiting local stores. Unfortunately, in the end, the Driver shortage has and will continue to directly affect logistics and transportation companies, but also local businesses and the end consumer which includes you and me.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

While these organizations range in size from under 100 employees to upwards of nearly 400,000 employees, the need for their operations and service to flow seamlessly is universal. In order to excel in the for-hire industry, the level of service, professionalism of the drivers, and their ability to quickly adapt to their clients changing needs is crucial.

The majority of this influence comes from the direct actions and qualifications of their staff. With positions ranging from drivers through operations managers and CEO’s, the level of service that is experienced at the customer level is directly impacted by all roles. In the competitive market of for-hire carriers, turnaround time and service are critical to maintaining a strong customer base and solid figures for the bottom line.

So how do these organizations set themselves apart? They’ve likely captured and maintained some of the strongest talent in the logistics industry. Locating, identifying, and qualifying logistics professionals and drivers in a timely manner can be difficult for even the most experienced of organizations to do. The ever changing regulations put on our industry only add to the level of difficulty.

Trillium Drivers is proud to provide qualified drivers and logistics professionals to half of the companies ranked in the top ten this year!

Our clients benefit from having an industry experienced staffing partner that provides a wide range of customized services ranging from casual drivers to trial hire drivers as well as direct hire placements of logistics professionals. While taking on the burden and resources of the recruiting, hiring, and even in some cases managing of staff; we allow our clients to do what they do best, provide world class service to clients nationwide. As leaders in the driver staffing industry, we are proud to call many of this year’s recognized companies our valued clients.

Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of professional drivers? Contact us today! Learn more about our Dedicated Driver Services here! Are you a safe and professional driver who is seeking a rewarding career? Visit us here to locate a driving career in your area!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.