The trucking and transit industries share a common problem — not enough drivers. Lack of drivers contributes to bigger issues, like supply chain interruptions and service failures. A University of Oregon’s Transit Workforce Study Report noted a significant, widespread driver shortage in transit. This shortage comes from a variety of causes, including an aging workforce and intense competition from rival agencies.

To keep the world’s cargo moving, the trucking industry has had to upgrade its policies and create innovative solutions to bring more drivers in and keep them longer. Although the state of the truck driver shortage waxes and wanes, these tools have helped many organizations improve their recruitment and retention rates.

What Causes Driver Shortages in Public Transit?

Public transit driver shortages do not stem from a single issue. Shortages are the result of several long-standing workforce and industry challenges that continue to compound over time. Understanding the root causes behind these shortages is the first step transit agencies can take toward developing effective, long-term solutions.

1. Aging Workforce

An aging workforce is a liability for any industry, but it is common among trucking companies and transit agencies. The National Association of Truckstop Operators (NATSO) reported that the average age of a truck driver is 46, and the typical age of a new driver in training is 35. This advanced age of entry means that the industry loses out on years of potential productivity from a younger workforce.

As older drivers continue to retire, without a supply of younger workers, the shortage will continue to squeeze both industries.

2. Intense Competition

While the shortage grows, competition from inside and outside the industry increases. Drivers face little incentive to stay at one organization if they know that they can get better pay, benefits, and working conditions by seeking greener pastures. Entities that fail to compete constantly lose out as the top performers head elsewhere.

The transit industry also faces challenges from outside the field. In regions with a high cost of living, low wages in trucking or transit push drivers to seek other careers. Failing to entice young adult drivers takes an even bigger chunk out of the potential workforce by discouraging them from starting in the first place.

3. Gender Disparity

Globally, women represent just under half of the population, according to Our World in Data. That statistic means that, at least in theory, adult women could be 50% of professional drivers. They’re not.

NATSO noted that only about 7-12% of the driving workforce is made up of women, and that statistic reflects growth over time. Failing to recruit more women to the industry means that both transit and trucking are shutting themselves off from potentially half of the applicant pool.

4. Poor Working Conditions

Poor working conditions for professional drivers are a major contributor to the industry's unfavorable reputation among those considering new careers.

Driving is characterized by uncomfortable environments, long hours, and wages that fail to keep pace. While drivers who dislike their current circumstances can often find a better situation by getting a job elsewhere, there’s no guarantee that the new job will be an improvement.

9 Trucking Industry Solutions to the Transit Driver Shortage

Public transit agencies are not the first transportation organizations to face major workforce shortages. The trucking industry has spent years adapting to many of the same recruitment, retention, and operational challenges now affecting transit systems.

By examining strategies developed by the trucking industry, transit agencies can identify practical solutions to help strengthen recruitment efforts and improve long-term driver retention.

1. Improved Recruitment

Recruitment requires a two-pronged strategy. First, the industry must find ways to improve the image of the professional driver, so the people being recruited actually want to consider the career at all.

Second, agencies must look at how they can recruit drivers from underrepresented demographics, like women, younger adults or military veterans. For example, younger drivers may be looking for competitive pay and career paths that they can follow for years without having to pivot. Strengthening these areas within the agency can make the position more attractive.

2. Competitive Compensation

Pay is the elephant in the room, especially for public transit agencies. Organizations may look to cut costs, but this is a short-sighted strategy. A lack of qualified drivers contributes to service interruptions, which leads to lower revenue, creating a vicious cycle.

There are a lot of ways to improve operations without compromising on pay for drivers. Competitive pay can come in the form of standard wages, signing bonuses, and expedited pathways to move to the median wage.

3. Flexible Scheduling

Flexible scheduling is a non-compensation benefit that is more likely to entice those underrepresented demographics. Johns Hopkins University reported that Gen Z workers expect flexible schedules as part of their career plans. If they cannot get it as a professional driver, they may look for other jobs or leave the industry entirely.

Flex time does not have to mean that transit agencies cannot plan their schedules. Rather, it means that drivers get more influence in choosing their preferred schedules, which can help with retention even when agencies cannot increase pay.

4. Enhanced Training Programs

The old days of hiring a worker who has all the right criteria have proven inefficient. Modern approaches call for hiring drivers with the right soft skills and providing enhanced training. Training should start with recruitment and follow a driver through their career, with the ability to grow and progress regardless of experience.

Technology provides more opportunities to collect data on driver performance, so that organizations can tailor training programs to the driver. That way, drivers do not have to guess at improvements they should make, and managers can give accurate and detailed performance assessments.

5. Better Working Conditions

To avoid critical failures in transport, the trucking industry has had to consider how to improve overall working conditions as part of retention and recruitment strategies. Delays in service can leave drivers waiting to start their shifts or get to work, which lowers morale even if the drivers are receiving hourly wages during waiting times.

Strengthening working conditions involves discussion with the current workforce and making improvements. Designing the driver’s cabin for ergonomics can reduce physical strain. Increasing operational efficiency can allow drivers to finish work on time.

6. Operational Efficiency

Operational efficiency contributes to cost savings and other benefits that allow transit agencies to focus on retention. Many organizations pay attention to expense outflow more than efficiency, which can lead to a culture of being penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Common inefficiencies include relying on workers to do tasks that could be easily automated or even failing to curb unnecessary idling. Working to address these problems can leave more resources available for recruitment, driver pay, or flexible schedules.

Maintenance sourcing is another area where efficiency plays a critical role. Establishing a reliable process for sourcing parts for sale can reduce time spent tracking down components, prevent delays in repairs, and ease pressure on already limited maintenance staff. When agencies reduce avoidable slowdowns, they free up more resources for recruitment, driver pay, and flexible schedules.

7. Image Improvement

To get more people to consider professional driving as a career, transit agencies must work to improve people's perception of the career. Shifting the narrative from a dead-end job to early entry into a good career can help underrepresented demographics to see themselves making the choice.

Although organizations may attempt to whitewash the image of a driver with creative recruitment advertising, the benefit to real image improvement lies in retention. When drivers feel like they have a good job with great support, they are less likely to complain or leave the industry.

8. Technology Integration

Integrating technology can lead to several process improvements for drivers as well as agencies. The installation of routing technology can help drivers get to their routes on time, using less fuel and taking less time to get to each destination.

Data collection in transit vehicles can provide critical information about the use of the service, which can allow the agency to improve scheduling efficiency. Using AI to predict demand can enhance the agency’s ability to meet requirements for a growing set of passengers.

9. Attention to Safety Concerns

Worries about safety can be a significant portion of a driver’s assessment of their working conditions. If they feel that their working conditions are likely to contribute to poor health or risk of attack, they may leave the industry or never enter it in the first place.

Agencies should resist the urge to gloss over safety concerns or dismiss reports of violence toward drivers. Instead, they must look at ways to address these issues. For example, hiring security personnel to serve on buses or trains can help drivers to feel like they have support when something goes wrong.

Addressing the growing shortage of drivers is a common problem for trucking and transit. Organizations must work to find solutions or risk finding themselves short of the necessary number of drivers for reliable service.

The trucking industry has had to make several improvements to keep a stable workforce that is not constantly seeking a better opportunity. By integrating these lessons from trucking, transit agencies can offer competitive pay, improve recruitment, and enhance working conditions for their drivers.

About the Author: Cal Turner is an integral part of the Fitzgerald USA team and is co-owner and operator of Fitzgerald USA Truck Parts Online, a leading provider of high-quality truck parts and accessories. Turner, a University of Tennessee graduate, has been immersed in the trucking industry for nearly a decade. He has spent the last several years expanding on how he can provide unmatched services, products, and expertise in the online truck parts market.

^{This article was authored and edited according to METRO's editorial standards and style. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of METRO or Bobit Business Media.}