The commercial truck driver shortage has been with us, to varying degrees, for years. But it’s growing worse.

The strong economy has created ceaseless demand for transportation services, especially for products generated by the burgeoning e-commerce sector of retailing. According to the American Trucking Associations, there’s a 51,000-person deficit of drivers needed to carry packages and freight in support of merchandisers such as Amazon.com and Walmart. The problem is especially acute in long-haul trucking, where drivers are apt to be away from their homes and families for days at a time. How can we refill the fast-evaporating driver pool? On this episode, we discuss the problem with Wally Stegall, technical fellow with Morey Corp., an electronic manufacturing services provider. He talks about the long-term impact of the trucking labor shortage on supply chains, and even suggests some possible solutions to the dilemma. Hosted by Bob Bowman, Executive Editor of SupplyChainBrain.

Look for a new episode of the podcast, which can be downloaded or streamed, every Friday on the SupplyChainBrain website and Apple Podcasts.

Show notes:

Reports, trends and statistics on the driver shortage from the American Trucking Associations.