If the economy ever shifts into high gear, there is a fear that the trucking industry might be left stuck in neutral.
The problem is a shortage of drivers. It's an issue that has been around for a number of years but it was less critical when the economy was more sluggish and there was less to haul, said Dave Huneryager, president of the Tennessee Trucking Association.
"The economy is pretty solid now, but the really scary part is if it ever really took off, would we have enough people behind the wheels of our trucks to haul all the goods?" he said.
At the American Trucking Association's annual conference in October, the group's chief economist, Bob Costello, told members that as freight volumes continue to rise, the driver shortage could hold back industry growth. According to Costello, the turnover rate for drivers -- which he said was a gauge of the shortage -- rose 11 percent in the second quarter of 2014 to an annualized rate of 103 percent.
Turnover at smaller fleets -- those with less than $30 million in revenue -- rose 16 percent in the quarter to reach an annualized rate of 94 percent. These turnover rates were the highest since 2012, according to Costello.
Jim Peters, vice president of operations with Knoxville-based TLD Logistics, said his company is one of 12 carriers from around the country that make up a benchmark group that tries to keep tabs on the industry.
"We did a survey on what percentage of trucks our members have had to park because they did not have drivers for them, and it averaged about 7 to 9 percent," he said.
TLD Logistics was more fortunate and has had to park only 2 percent of its trucks, Peters said. To help combat the problem, TLD Logistics has started a six-week driver training program, he said.
Vanquish Worldwide, which opened a 17,000-square-foot headquarters in Maryville in June and has been growing through a partnership withFedEx and through acquisitions, still contends with a driver shortage.
Eric Barton, its founder, told the News Sentinel in June that despite a strong benefits package, Vanquish has difficulties recruiting drivers, especially as the company does Department of Defense work and demands drivers meet high security standards.
Barton said Vanquish turns away more drivers than it hires because of background checks and verification processes.
Complicating the driving picture are new federal hours-of-service requirements, Huneryager said. Under previous regulations, drivers had to have 34 hours off duty between one workweek and the next. This is considered their "restart" period. In 2012, a requirement was added that the 34-hour period must include two consecutive periods in which the driver has a 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. period in which to sleep.
This complicates scheduling. If a driver reached a destination at 1:30 a.m., this would add nearly another day to the time that driver would have to take to meet the requirement, Huneryager said.
"What the new hours of service do is ask the trucking company to haul the same amount of freight with more drivers," he said.
Several things have been driving the shortage. An increased government focus on driver safety records pushed many drivers out of the industry. Older drivers are retiring but younger people are not entering the field. One problem is a person has to be 21 years old to get the required license and a lot of young people are already into another field by then.
In addition, a lot of people with families don't want to be gone for weeks at a time. Peters said his company tries to make sure its drivers get home for every weekend, though.
Many companies are looking for new ways to attract potential drivers, Huneryager said. They are trying to attract more husband-and-wife teams and trying to appeal to veterans, Huneryager said.
"We are trying to work with the National Guard and hook up with folks out of active military duty and transition them into trucking," he said.
But no "magic bullet" solution for the driver shortage has been found yet, Peters said: "It is definitely a period of transition if you talk to people in the industry."
The problem is a shortage of drivers. It's an issue that has been around for a number of years but it was less critical when the economy was more sluggish and there was less to haul, said Dave Huneryager, president of the Tennessee Trucking Association.
"The economy is pretty solid now, but the really scary part is if it ever really took off, would we have enough people behind the wheels of our trucks to haul all the goods?" he said.
At the American Trucking Association's annual conference in October, the group's chief economist, Bob Costello, told members that as freight volumes continue to rise, the driver shortage could hold back industry growth. According to Costello, the turnover rate for drivers -- which he said was a gauge of the shortage -- rose 11 percent in the second quarter of 2014 to an annualized rate of 103 percent.
Turnover at smaller fleets -- those with less than $30 million in revenue -- rose 16 percent in the quarter to reach an annualized rate of 94 percent. These turnover rates were the highest since 2012, according to Costello.
Jim Peters, vice president of operations with Knoxville-based TLD Logistics, said his company is one of 12 carriers from around the country that make up a benchmark group that tries to keep tabs on the industry.
"We did a survey on what percentage of trucks our members have had to park because they did not have drivers for them, and it averaged about 7 to 9 percent," he said.
TLD Logistics was more fortunate and has had to park only 2 percent of its trucks, Peters said. To help combat the problem, TLD Logistics has started a six-week driver training program, he said.
Vanquish Worldwide, which opened a 17,000-square-foot headquarters in Maryville in June and has been growing through a partnership with
Eric Barton, its founder, told the News Sentinel in June that despite a strong benefits package, Vanquish has difficulties recruiting drivers, especially as the company does Department of Defense work and demands drivers meet high security standards.
Barton said Vanquish turns away more drivers than it hires because of background checks and verification processes.
Complicating the driving picture are new federal hours-of-service requirements, Huneryager said. Under previous regulations, drivers had to have 34 hours off duty between one workweek and the next. This is considered their "restart" period. In 2012, a requirement was added that the 34-hour period must include two consecutive periods in which the driver has a 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. period in which to sleep.
This complicates scheduling. If a driver reached a destination at 1:30 a.m., this would add nearly another day to the time that driver would have to take to meet the requirement, Huneryager said.
"What the new hours of service do is ask the trucking company to haul the same amount of freight with more drivers," he said.
Several things have been driving the shortage. An increased government focus on driver safety records pushed many drivers out of the industry. Older drivers are retiring but younger people are not entering the field. One problem is a person has to be 21 years old to get the required license and a lot of young people are already into another field by then.
In addition, a lot of people with families don't want to be gone for weeks at a time. Peters said his company tries to make sure its drivers get home for every weekend, though.
Many companies are looking for new ways to attract potential drivers, Huneryager said. They are trying to attract more husband-and-wife teams and trying to appeal to veterans, Huneryager said.
"We are trying to work with the National Guard and hook up with folks out of active military duty and transition them into trucking," he said.
But no "magic bullet" solution for the driver shortage has been found yet, Peters said: "It is definitely a period of transition if you talk to people in the industry."
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