The U.S. trucking industry has seen many challenges in recent years. The biggest issues include a driver shortage, COVID-19-related regulations that caused massive delays for drivers already on tight schedules, and the difficulty in sourcing new vehicles.

Solving the vehicle shortage is easy - many trucking companies have started importing commercial trucks from Canada, which actually makes more sense considering it's cheaper.

While the COVID regulations aren't necessarily a big problem anymore, the driver shortage is still negatively impacting the industry.

Many people speculate about why the driver shortage exists. Some believe it's simply because 300,000 drivers leave their profession each year. That's part of the issue, but the root cause has been largely hidden from public view until recently.

Why is there a truck driver shortage in the U.S.?

Although it's true that roughly 300,000 truck drivers leave their profession each year, there should be a steady flow of new drivers to take their place. That's how it always was in the past, but this has changed. In recent years, the number of new truck drivers entering the field has diminished, and the number of drivers leaving each year has increased, but why?

In 2021, the industry was short 80,000 drivers. That's a record number. As revealed by current and former drivers, a big part of the shortage is due to low pay and grueling work.

Steve Viscelli, an economic sociologist from the University of Pennsylvania, told CBS News there are plenty of trained and licensed truck drivers who simply refuse to work in the industry. Viscelli says the industry has an extremely high turnover rate and many drivers corroborate his claims.

Truck drivers experience some of the toughest working conditions around. Not necessarily in terms of physical demand, but it takes a lot to stay awake and drive safely for long hours over long distances while being on a tight schedule.

Anyone who has driven long distances knows how easy it is to become tired while driving for more than a couple of hours. It doesn't matter how much sleep you've gotten; the vibrations from the road can lull you into a drowsy trance until your eyes start to close.

Although breaks and maximum daily driving hours are heavily regulated in the trucking industry, not all truckers follow the rules. In fact, some companies encourage drivers to break the rules. The pressure to meet scheduled stops is unreal in the trucking industry, and many companies put profits ahead of safety.

With a median pay of just $48,310 per year in 2021, it's easy to see why there's no real incentive for licensed drivers to stay in the industry. There are plenty of other, less demanding jobs that pay that much. They may not be interesting, but the work isn't as rough.

Signing bonuses and triple pay isn't enough

Some trucking companies have increased their pay threefold and have enticing sign-on bonuses, and it's still not enough to bring in enough qualified drivers. Or, if they sign on, they quickly leave because of the working conditions.

Truck drivers haven't always been underpaid and overworked, but today's drivers often feel unappreciated for their hard work. Companies can't compensate drivers the way they used to and still make a profit. People don't pay as much for freight deliveries, gas prices are through the roof, and there are other high costs associated with doing business in the industry.

Another issue is that many truck drivers work off the clock, their employers know it, and they still don't get paid for those hours. It's as though being a truck driver automatically means working many hours you'll never get paid for, and that's not fair.

For instance, some companies only pay drivers by the mile, which means they get paid the same amount of money whether it takes them 16 hours or 10 hours to complete a route.

If a driver gets stuck in traffic, hits bad weather, or encounters construction zones, they don't get paid. Getting paid by the mile is the reason so many truck drivers push themselves to their limits by driving for too many hours without resting.

The driver shortage is expected to continue

The truck driver shortage isn't going to be resolved anytime soon. In addition to grueling hours, drivers in the U.S. have been mandated to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which has deterred many people from pursuing a career as a truck driver.

It's hard to say when or if the shortage will resolve, but hopefully something will change soon.

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