Overcoming the truck driver shortage in the United States: An Empirical Study
In 2023, the trucking industry contributed approximately $389.3 billion to the United States' gross domestic product (GDP), accounting for most of the nation's highway freight movement. However, the current shortage of truck drivers is disrupting U.S. supply chain activities. Failure to address this challenge can have long-term implications, such as higher consumer prices, longer delivery times, and even product shortages in the marketplace. Therefore, the present study aims to identify the factors contributing to the truck driver shortage, model their contextual interrelationships, and uncover the root causes. The overarching goal is to help overcome the current truck driver shortage in the U.S., thereby enabling the freight transport sector to remain competitive and maintain its socioeconomic impact on job creation, productivity, the nation's revenue, and the wider supply chain costs. A three-stage methodology will be implemented. This will comprise an extensive literature review, semi-structured interviews with selected industry experts to conduct interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC). We will adopt a purposive (non-probability) sampling to engage with key stakeholders in the Missouri trucking industry, such as, but not limited to, regulators (e.g., DOT), truckers (private fleets, owner-operators, trucking companies/3PL), shippers, freight brokers, and consignees. The planned deliverables include: (1.) a literature synthesis analyzing truck driver shortage causes and solutions/remedies currently available; (2.) the development of a data-driven hierarchical interaction framework, and (3.) a final report to synthesize the findings, implications, and recommendations for industry professionals, policymakers, and academics.
- Record URL:
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $147,150.00
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Contract Numbers:
69A3552348307
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Sponsor Organizations:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Managing Organizations:
Mid-America Transportation Center
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
2200 Vine Street, PO Box 830851
Lincoln, NE United States 68583-0851 -
Performing Organizations:
University of Missouri, St. Louis
1 University Boulevard
St. Louis, MO United States 63121-4400 -
Principal Investigators:
Akenroye, Temidayo
Bracy, Jill
Enayati, Shakiba
- Start Date: 20240601
- Expected Completion Date: 20250630
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Classification; Personnel retention; Recruiting; Supply chain management; Transportation; Truck drivers
- Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Freight Transportation; Highways;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01971689
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Mid-America Transportation Center
- Contract Numbers: 69A3552348307
- Files: UTC, RIP
- Created Date: Nov 18 2025 1:52PM