Trucker Shortage and How it Affects Driver Safety

With millions of truck drivers on the road in the United States, tons of goods are delivered nationwide in a timely manner; however, these individuals travel far and wide maneuvering massive machines on roads and highways that are often far too congested.
Yet even then, having less truckers on the road isn’t the solution. In fact, it may be making the roads a lot less safe.

Our Houston truck accident attorneys at Lapeze & Johns want to extend our guidance and experience in representing victims of truck accidents to you in order to keep you informed and alert of the risk factors of the road due to a trucker shortage.

According to a 2018 study by the American Truckers Association , in only a decade there will be 160,000 truck driving positions unfilled.

Various explanations as to why this industry is in decline exist. As reported by Bloomberg , a business-oriented news site, a couple of factors have primarily contributed to the deficit of drivers:

The average age among truck drivers is currently 46. This means that there is less than 2 decades of labor remaining for these individuals before they are statistically predicted to retire .

Additionally, there are numerous diseases and strains of the body associated with old age that make physically demanding jobs such as trucking either difficult or impossible for the aging and the elderly. 

Women make up only 6.2 percent of all truck drivers as of 2017. These numbers are wildly disproportionate considering that women make up half of the population. Several factors contribute to this expansive gender bias:

In addition, women were often passed over when trucking companies were actively looking for drivers. Now, this is quickly changing as the demands for drivers increases, including the recruitment of veterans and younger people as well.

Not only is this trucker shortage dangerous for the pockets of those in the industry, but it is also dangerous for those of us on the road. 

Although the amount of drivers is decreasing, the demand for the delivery of goods is increasing by the day. This means that those truck drivers that are currently employed will undoubtedly be faced with more pressure to pick up the slack for their missing peers.

Ultimately, a driver shortage could mean that truck drivers will be given more trips, less vacation, and an intense pressure to forego sleep.

Currently, about 5,000 people a year are involved in fatal accidents with semi-trucks, and unfortunately, the current state of the trucking industry does not lead experts to believe that this number will be going down any time soon.

Now more than ever, you and your loved ones are facing an increased risk of injury or death at the hands of a negligent truck driver. 

Our team of truck accident attorneys at Lapeze & Johns has the experience needed to get you or a loved one the care and compensation that you deserve.

Trucker Shortage and How it Affects Driver Safety

Lapeze & Johns