Labor Relations Commons^™

Critical Issues In Trucking Workforce Development, Thomas O’Brien, Tyler Reeb, Deanna Matsumoto, Diana Sanchez

Mineta Transportation Institute

This white paper identifies research opportunities focused on workforce development for the trucking industry, particularly regarding truck drivers and the truck driver shortage. Interviews were conducted with key national and state trucking industry leaders. In addition, the authors gathered information from relevant sessions at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting in January of 2020. The researchers also synthesized recent literature related to the trucking industry and workforce development. Key findings indicate that 1) the shortage may be a byproduct of “churn,” where truck drivers are leaving not the industry, but their respective companies for other companies, which creates a …