Trucking industry continues to face challenges, opportunities

The trucking and freight industry, like many other industry sectors, faces ongoing challenges including things like demographics, technology changes and government regulatory changes. How companies are able to address the shifting landscape of the trucking industry will determine success or failure this year and for years to come. Demographics is a major headache across all areas of the economy. Attracting and retaining quality workers is a challenge for all hiring managers from factories to farm yards. Driver shortages are nothing new in the trucking industry, particularly with over the road routes. According to the US Census and industry statistics, the average age of a trucker is 46. This skews older than the average workforce population age of about 41 years old. While an older, more seasoned workforce can have advantages when it comes to knowledge and experience, it also presents risk and the shows a potential lack of younger people choosing to enter the industry to replace those in it now. According to data compiled by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) there are about 3.58 million truck drivers working in the United States with an industrywide total of 8.4 million people employed in trucking related and support positions. However, the industry association says even with this large pool of truckers the needs are not met and reported that as of 2023 the shortage was 80,000 truckers, with projections are that it will only get worse going forward as older drivers leave the industry. ATA reports that from 2023 to 2024 there was a .8% decrease in the number of truck drivers employed in the U.S. The ATA projects that the driver shortage could increase dramatically in coming years with projections of 160,000 unfilled positions by 2030. According to the ATA, in 2024, the nation's trucking freight bill was estimated at $906 billion in gross freight revenues (using primary shipments only). In tonnage, in 2024, the nation's domestic trucking companies transported an estimated 11.27 billion tons of freight. This accounts for a staggering 72.7% of all freight by weight in the United States. From the clothes people wear to the food they eat and the vehicles they drive, almost everything has been trans- ported by truck. This makes trucking companies and drivers an essential part of the national and world economy. According to the ATA there were 14.89 million singleunit (2-axle, 6-tire or more) and combination trucks registered in 2023, representing 5% of all motor vehicles registered. Combined these truckers total 329.86 billion miles on U.S. roads in 2023. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, as of June 2025, there were almost 580,000 active US motor carriers registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) that own or lease at least one tractor. Out of those carriers: 91.5% operate 10 or fewer trucks and 99.3% operate 100 or fewer trucks. The need for drivers has seen companies becoming more competitive with wages. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the average hourly wage for heavy or tractortrailer truck drivers is $27.62 per hour or about $57,440 per year on average as of 2024. Wisconsin, like many of its Great Lakes states counterparts has a large representation in the trucking industry. Beyond workforce concerns with attracting and retaining drivers, the trucking industry faces other major challenges. Technological changes have played a role in the trucking industry with advanced data and logistics management being more accurate in tracking and predicting loads and capabilities with the goal of increasing efficiency across the industry. Adopting the technology and keeping up with ongoing changes presents challenges, especially for smaller companies due to the cost and training needed. However technology changes can also help companies be more competitive. Industry data, reports that fuel costs account for about 21% of operational expenses for a trucking company. Trucking companies look to technology to help reduce that expense through such things as route optimization and other methods. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and growing research into autonomous vehicles and driver-assistive technologies are on the horizon and have a potential to impact the trucking industry with the goal of improving efficiency and reducing costs. Another emerging technology that could impact the trucking industry will be the use of electric vehicles in the industry. Widespread adoption of this technology will be dependent on overcoming infrastructure concerns regarding charging capabilities, range and cost. The political atmosphere particularly in regard to impacts on regulations and enforcement, also have a significant impact on the trucking industry. With a significant amount of goods moved by truck between Mexico, Canada and the United States, the political relations between those countries can be a disruptive influence on the trucking industry as a whole.