Driver pool dropped in October

Truck-driver labor availability fell in October for the first time since June of this year, marking the largest decline since January 2005, according to Nashville, IN-based FTR Associates.

The transportation forecasting firm said this was due to construction and manufacturing industries aggressively recruiting within the same labor pool as trucking.

Truck share of employment, a measure of supply and demand, reached its second-highest level on record in the third quarter of 2005, suggesting that it remains “extremely difficult” to hire and retain drivers, said FTR.

FTR’s Driver Labor Market Indicators report looks at supply and demand issues as well as how freight and broader labor markets affect the pool of available drivers.

For more information, visit www.ftrassociates.net or call Eric Starks at 812-325-4690.