Fix Roads, Bridges to Help Retain Drivers, ATA Economist Says
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Government officials should do more to reduce traffic congestion along the country’s roadways as a way to help retain drivers across the industry, American Trucking Associations Chief Economist Bob Costello said.
“Let’s fix the roads and bridges so they [drivers] aren't sitting in traffic, because so many of them want to leave because they’re sick of that,” Costello told the audience at the 13th annual Recruitment and Retention Conference on Feb. 11. The event was co-hosted by Transport Topics.
Congestion along main freight corridors has been found to be unappealing for drivers who often find themselves stuck in traffic for many hours. Repairing and expanding the nation’s main highways would directly impact driver retention, Costello added.
He also indicated that because “there is no one reason for the driver shortage, there’s no one solution to the driver shortage.”
ATA estimates the shortage of drivers industrywide to be 48,000, and it is projected to increase to 175,000 in eight years.
A 2015 report by the American Transportation Research Institute noted that one way to tackle roadway congestion is through the creation of a new funding program that focuses federal resources on truck bottlenecks.
A five-year, $305 billion highway bill signed into law in December aims to boost programs designed to improve freight connectivity nationwide. Still, critics of the law are urging transportation leaders on Capitol Hill to reach a long-term funding solution that provides more funding for transportation projects.
