The trucking industry struggles with persistent under-staffing year-over-year, and attrition due to burnout only exacerbates the problem. Truck drivers reportedly deliver upwards of 70 percent of all goods and materials, and each time people leave long-haul positions or the industry at large, rising freight costs are passed along to consumers. A growing supply chain issue involves the ability of some companies to maintain inventories and service customers. Although industry leaders recognize trucker burnout ranks among their workforce concerns, its impact on supply chains may be greater than many realize.
A University of Arkansas research study identified powerful links between truck driver burnout and turnover rates. After polling upwards of 190 CDL-holders who worked as employees, not owner-operators, researchers highlighted three distinct underlying causes — exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy. The latter is commonly associated with the feeling someone’s efforts are useless or meaningless.
“While ‘burnout’ is synonymous with ‘exhaustion’ to many, the authors find that drivers come into the industry expecting difficult work. Therefore, exhaustion generally isn’t enough to cause a driver to consider quitting,” the U of Arkansas study reportedly states. “Similarly, while cynical drivers may feel like competent professionals who are being undermined by incompetent co-workers or government regulations, they do not generally view quitting as the solution to their problems. However, once drivers begin to feel inefficacy, they are much more likely to seek a new job or career.”
In recent years, truck driver turnover has remained relatively high. From 2019 to 2020, for example, large truckload carriers experienced attrition of 90-91 percent, and small load outfits continued to post turnover rates at or above two-thirds of the workforce. This level of employee disruption inevitably causes wide-reaching blowback on sometimes fragile supply chains.
Experienced truckers earning top-tier wages may be hesitant to give up the financial benefits of their expertise by leaving the sector. Many pivot from long-haul trucking and secure local or regional positions that pay equal if not better salaries. Big box retailers are luring OTR truckers to their cause with sign-on bonuses and annual pay scales close to or above six figures. Job-hopping into these positions allows burnt-out drivers to minimize some of the roots causes such as loneliness, sleeping in a rig, and feelings of inefficacy. Delivering goods and products to appreciative retailers and witnessing — first-hand — how their supply chain efforts impact communities is typically meaningful.
Although this repositioning of the workforce helps truckers struggling with burnout, it also reduces the number of qualified CDL professionals in the OTR game. When industry experts speak in broad terms about the increased need to fill tractor-trailer positions, it’s essential to understand burnout plays a critical role in various aspects of the supply chain. Even if the country achieved a higher rate of truck driver employment, they might not necessarily be in the OTR jobs that significantly impact freight costs that are passed along to consumers.
Sources: fleetowner.com, ft.com
I know about burn out my dispatcher wouldn’t give me a chance to rest
That’s because a large segment of drivers allow it including myself in the early years. Now, going on 35 years behind the wheel I lost my “give a shit” what dispatchers or company thinks. I didn’t order, manufacture, or need the freight anywhere so I refuse to listen to the “it’s got to be there by” BS! It will get there almost immediately after I roll through the front gates.
That’s not a healthy attitude.
1 day off for 70 hours of working is causing this.. especially with the Mega trucking company..
Be regulations, law enforcement harassment, low pay, shipper and receivers bs, high fuel costs, discriminatory tolls, road taxes, diesel taxes, hhut, poor equipment, Insurance costs, def bs, and any other way this government can screw the drivers is the problem.
I was lured to local and then regional from OTR. Now, with 6 years experience this regional job hooked me great pay and every weekend off, as well as an excellent benefit package.
Money. The money sucks. No one ever mentions driver pay. It’s pathetic.
Lori is absolutely correct, drivers are people too and they want a family life and holidays, and weekends just like the 9 to 5’s. Trucking is a tough business, but even the toughest will give it up sooner or later. Also why local jobs are so highly sought after.
Yes burnout, having to fight for your wage every week, etc causes these and much more problems for the driver regardless of whether it’s OTR or otherwise. I have a driver manager who does not care about time off I mean when I’m at home leave me the hell alone.
“Deliver upwards of 70% of all goods”???? What is delivering the remaining 30%? Last I checked, I don’t know of any retail store that has rail or ship port access facilities.
Get your facts straight.
I’ve heard these same laments over and over since a became a CDL holder in 1996 and nothing has ever changed. Driver shortage, driver turnover, blah, blah, blah. Until something is done to improve pay and working conditions these crocodile tears will be shed over and over. After 25 years I s#/+canned my CDL (3 accidents no at fault and 2 tickets only for overweight) and now work in the supply room of a hospital moving medical equipment around the building. The thing is I no longer have DOT, the police, the public, shippers, receivers, or any more of a long list of people who feel they have a right to stick their hand in my pocket or order me about like some HOA Karens on a slow day. I’m home everyday and believe it or not I’m making more money. I’m happier and not looking back!
70 hrs. ? how about 90 hour weeks? it takes many more hours to log 11 driving. dispatchers , brokers , owners going home every night, weekends off, always pushing drivers …come on, get real. then cameras facing drivers. after awhile , it’s like…”earn your own damned living, assholes!”
needs moderation? then have turnover!
Pay and more home time is major ! The company’s are making millions while the drivers make peanuts ! Take home pay divided by time in the truck = Fed up drivers after they figure it out !
Funny how these studies all dance around the one issue, the elephant standing in the middle of the room. Yes, I am talking about pay. The truth of the matter is that there is a driver shortage – for what you are willing to pay drivers. Those outfits that pay a decent wage don’t have a driver recruitment and retainment problem. I have worked for crappy paying companies and companies that pay really well. The companies that pay well have no problem finding and keeping drivers.
It’s absurd to watch the industry ignore this basic truth. This issue falls under the guise of “what they don’t tell ya”. Don’t believe it? Well just take a look at the mega carriers. They are always advertising some new pay raise. Pick up a recruiting magazine, those freebies that are always available at truckstops near the doors. The raises are comical and nonstop. If drivers knew what the loads really paid on the load boards, they would realize they are getting screwed three ways to Sunday by some of these companies. For those companies that pay a percentage , are they paying gross percentage or net percentage. If you press these companies to show what percentage they are really paying based off of the rates contract for the load etc,; they will tell you that they can’t show you that info. But no worry, the truth is still out there if one really wants to find it . Just join a load board or two and the truth will be known. The rates advertised there are of course, after the broker makes their money. But That’s another story.
The fact of the matter is that the driver shortage like everything else should follow the same basic rules of economics- supply and demand. But of course you have the mega carriers artificially holding the freight rates down by hauling rubber ducks and picture frames from China for damn near free. Of course the shippers love the cheap rates and they respond by giving these carriers more business. But the reality is that these companies cant haul all the freight because they are also limited by the same issue that they help create- lack of drivers to subsidize their crappy business strategy.
Supposedly some companies have monetized their recruiting depts into profit streams as well. For every warm body they can get into orientation as a new hire ( regardless if candidates never make it out of orientation), they get a kickback from the govt for providing a job. I don’t really know if this is true but I have heard about this practice taking place at a carrier I was employed with.
So many drivers leave the industry or move around looking for better wages and working conditions. The situation is skewed to the companies advantage. Move around too much and a driver is blackballed for job hopping. Anything to keep someone working in the system ..
A OTR driver should easily make 2500 / week as a beginning fair wage. If that sounds like too much, ask everyone you know what would they would accept as pay to be gone 3 weeks at a time living in a truck. Suddenly it’s not so much. So After taxes, insurance etc what’s left over should be a fair reward for living in a truck, eating crappy food and being away from family for days on end. Till these companies get fair with what they are really asking ppl to do, then what you see in the industry will not change as is evident by the current state of affairs. Just saying…