The trucking industry needs clearer career pathways to attract the next generation of skilled drivers.
Shannon Newton
President, Arkansas Trucking Association
Every morning, millions of Americans grab their coffee and merge onto highways alongside 18-wheelers, passing trucks as familiar as mailboxes but as mysterious as locked safes. Many of those commuters may be headed toward desks, counters, and cubicles that don’t feel rewarding, while a more satisfying job waits just one lane over. They see the trucks but rarely see the road to joining their ranks.
The irony isn’t lost on us: the profession responsible for delivering nearly everything to America’s shelves struggles to deliver its own message to the next generation. Whether we’re on a long road trip or stuck in rush hour traffic, we’re surrounded by roadside messages. Reflective signs warn and direct us, while billboards count down the miles to the next rest stop or hot meal. How many young people in guidance counselors’ offices wish for such clear signage about their future? What the trucking industry needs are well-lit signs marking the route to a fulfilling career.
Orienting career resources toward young adults
The American Trucking Associations estimates that the industry will need to hire roughly 1.2 million new drivers in the next decade to keep pace with growing demand and to replace an aging workforce.
Information is power, and right now, information about trucking careers tends to be hard to find. By investing time and resources to make career information easy to navigate, we can empower young people with a roadmap to a rewarding career in the trucking industry.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook lists over 500 careers for today’s job seekers, including professions that didn’t exist just a decade ago — social media manager, app developer, professional influencer. These new careers come with detailed roadmaps, YouTube tutorials, and step-by-step TikTok guides explaining everything from starting salaries to daily routines.
Meanwhile, the profession that literally delivers American commerce sometimes feels stuck in the slow lane of career education. Every day, our trucks pass thousands of young people who might find satisfaction, stability, and success behind the wheel — if only they could find the on-ramp.
Uniting to empower the next generation
Many potential drivers know they need a CDL, but then what? Who among us should invest the resources to construct clear routes from education to employment? How can we best show the next generation how to gain experience and what to expect at each career stage? Our efforts are fragmented, protectionist, and regional at best.
We don’t need a superhighway for everyone — trucking isn’t for all drivers any more than engineering is for all problem-solvers. However, for those who might find their calling behind the wheel, we owe them well-marked exits and clear directions.
Right now, women make up only about 7% of truck drivers, despite representing nearly half the total workforce. When we install better signage, we don’t just make the route more visible — we make it more welcoming to everyone who might excel behind the wheel.
Better information and well-defined career paths can help us attract talented young people who may have never seen themselves in this profession before.
