Costs now biggest concern for trucking firms: report

Rising costs in the trucking sector have overtaken the driver shortage as the biggest concern for employers, according to a new report from an industry non-profit.

One-third of business owners now see higher overheads such as fuel, equipment, insurance and labour as their biggest challenge, results from a Trucking HR Canada survey show.

The outcome marks the first time in a decade that a dearth of drivers has not been at the top of companies’ worry list, the group said.

“We have seen a bit of a slowdown, so the hiring of drivers hasn’t been that front-and-centre concern that we’ve seen over the last many years,” said chief executive Angela Splinter.

“I think it’s a reflection of what we’re seeing in our economy right now.”

Nonetheless, labour woes remain significant, as vacancies — including those behind the wheel — will top 40,000 by decade’s end unless more support to attract and keep workers is provided, Splinter said.

Helping to ease the pressure is the growing number of women in the semi cab.

The number of female drivers shot up 43 per cent to nearly 14,300 between 2016 and 2021, though the total still amounts to less than five per cent of all drivers.

The tally of women in trucking and logistics overall rose by 26,235 or 27 per cent to 123,370 between 2016 and 2021, even as the proportion of women in the workforce stayed at 48 per cent.

Trucking HR Canada offers funding to bolster the workforce, drawing in women and young people who might otherwise wind up in other fields, Splinter said. The non-profit’s efforts include programs that pay for new drivers’ training and an employer wage incentive to take on post-secondary students for job placements in non-driving roles.

“If we could do more around recruitment and even around retention, we’d see less of those vacancies over time,” Splinter said, calling on the government to better fund the sector.

It’s not just big-riggers who are in short supply. Technicians, mechanics, dispatchers, material handlers, shippers, receivers and information technology specialists are all in demand.