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Without significant action, the shortage of truck drivers is projected to double by 2028. One key reason is a growing age gap in driver demographics.
IRU’s latest driver shortage report – which is based on a survey of more than 4,700 trucking companies in the Americas, Asia and Europe – found that the share of drivers under 25 continues to remain low at 12% or less.
China (17%) and Uzbekistan (25%) are the only countries with a higher share of drivers under 25.
In many regions, one of the reasons for the low share of young truck drivers is an ageing population (less than 13% of the workforce are below 25 years old in all regions, except in Mexico, Uzbekistan and China).
Nevertheless, the share of young truck drivers is below the active population benchmark in all regions, except in China and Uzbekistan, meaning that the profession is attracting fewer young people compared to other sectors.
Most regions have a high share of drivers who are 55 or older. In many cases, it is higher than the overall transport and active population benchmarks, and much higher than the share of young truck drivers, meaning that the shortage will increase in the near future as the pool of young drivers will be unable to replace those retiring.
Europe has the highest average driver age (47). A third of its driver population is above 55 years old, while only 21% of its overall active population are over that age. Moreover, the share of its young drivers is very low (only 5% of drivers are below 25). Read more
Source: IRU
