Driver Shortage

In such a volatile state that we find our industry in right now, it could be time for brokerage to lend a helping hand to try and quell the raging capacity issues with our customers. Normal challenges of seasonal market rates, increased competition, weather, and rising fuel/maintenance/insurance costs seem to pale in comparison to the newest challenge we face as an industry: the dwindling truck driver capacity.

Most of us are fully aware of ATA's prediction that the 30,000 driver shortage of past years could easily be stretched to 200,000 by 2024. This is daunting indeed, but it does not require us to abandon ship just yet. Although capacity has gone down and continues to fall, the need for freight to be moved nationally is still there, as it will always be. This is where we as brokers can lean on our relationships with our current and future carriers to help make a difference. Shippers find themselves in a situation of being forced to think of different ways to move product, more so than ever before. This can be by consolidating product, piece product as needed and shipping LTL, or consolidating and shipping FTL on multi-stops. As chameleons of the transport business, we are used to making things happen by any means necessary. Here at the Allen Lund Company, we have the highest capacity available to us because we can lean on our carrier relationships to find the right carrier to do the job the way the shipper needs it done. We can also provide the largest solution of LTL options to our shippers through the hard work of our LTL division.

The lack of carriers does make our job more difficult, but it also forces us to continue to utilize all of our products and our greatest resource we have...our carrier relationships. If we can continue to offer satisfaction, not only to our shippers, but especially to our carriers, we can hope to limit the bleeding until a new batch of drivers, assisted by encouraging veterans, can take the reins and revitalize the US carrier corps.