There are broader societal and labor force trends currently reshaping the trucking industry, which ultimately present strategies for motor carriers to engage younger, more diverse, and historically underrepresented populations, according to a recently released report by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) detailing a notable demographic shift in the U.S. truck driver workforce.
The research is organized into two key phases: Chronological changes in truck driver demographics and pathways into trucking careers for former foster youth and justice-involved individuals.
The report offers a comprehensive analysis of the industry’s most pressing workforce challenges, including an aging driver population, low female representation, and shifting employment models. With the average truck driver now 47 years old and retirements accelerating, the research emphasizes the need to modernize recruitment messaging to better resonate with younger generations. Overall, the research provides a roadmap to help carriers enhance recruitment, improve retention, and build a more resilient driver workforce.
The report also highlights opportunities to expand access to trucking careers for individuals from historically underrepresented backgrounds, particularly former foster care youth and justice-involved individuals. These groups may face unique challenges, but with the right support, trucking can offer a stable and rewarding career path. The research encourages carriers to adopt targeted outreach, training pipelines, and reentry support, while implementing hiring practices that assess each candidate’s circumstances and readiness on a case-by-case basis.
Companies with for-hire or private fleets should closely monitor the changing demographics of professional truck drivers because these shifts directly impact recruitment, retention, and operational effectiveness. As the driver workforce becomes more diverse in age, gender, ethnicity, and lifestyle preferences, companies that understand and adapt to these changes are better positioned to meet evolving needs—whether that means offering more flexible schedules, improving safety measures, or investing in tailored training programs. Recognizing trends like the rise of women drivers, the aging workforce, or younger generations entering the field allows companies to stay competitive, foster inclusion, and build a stronger, more resilient team for the future.
Duryea points out that it’s critical to understand the demographics of your driver workforce so you can most effectively engage with them: “As the demographics of drivers change, we must evolve as an industry on the way we communicate with our employees and the services we provide. Many drivers prefer alternate methods of communication such as texting (of course not while driving) or emails. The challenge with non-verbal communication is phrasing and tone. Many times, a text or email can be misinterpreted because there are no visual or audible cues to indicate the sentiment behind the message.”
Companies also should provide a path for younger employees so they can continue to learn and grow in their careers, continues Duryea: “Home time and experiences are more and more critical to providing work/life balance to all workers in our organizations.”
While an average of 9.5% of all professional truck drivers holding CDLs are women, according to the 2024-25 WIT Index, they report encountering more challenges than men—such as facility access, personal safety, home time, etc. Of 12 common truck driving issues, a higher percentage of women encounter 11 of the 12 daily compared to men.
In recent years, however, there have been efforts to increase the representation of women in the industry. Organizations such as the Women In Trucking Association (WIT) are among the leading initiatives to support and attract women, both drivers and non-drivers, to the trucking industry.
ATRI’s Predicting Truck Crash Involvement: 2018 and 2022 Updates found that women are safer across all statistically significant driver behavior categories. Despite a strong safety rationale for why the industry would want more women drivers, women are disproportionately underrepresented in truck driving roles. Each of these demographic trends is addressed in ATRI’s 2024 study, Identifying and Mitigating the Challenges Faced by Women Truck Drivers.
That research quantified six key challenge areas for women drivers:
These challenge areas and the recommended industry action plan to address each as detailed in ATRI’s research provide a framework for the industry to mitigate the challenges and recruit and retain more women drivers.
According to 2023 government data, the average age for truck drivers is 47 years old, compared to an average age of 42 for the rest of the U.S. labor force, making truck drivers older and closer to the average retirement age of 67. The retirement of older truck drivers presents both a workforce challenge and a strategic opportunity for the industry to broaden recruitment efforts.
By tapping into younger individuals, the industry can build a sustainable driver population.
There are four primary “generations” in the trucking industry workforce:
“Gen X now makes up 40.8% of truck drivers, surpassing Boomers (20.7%),” says Mangino. “This shift signals a changing workforce dynamic, with different expectations around work-life balance, technology, and career development.”
“In addition, 30.7% of drivers are Millennials, a generation that values inclusivity, flexibility, and purpose-driven work,” continues Mangino. “These are factors that can influence how companies attract and retain talent, especially women.”
While compensation is an important part of attracting younger individuals to driving positions, prior ATRI research found that 60% of younger drivers reported that factors other than pay were equally or more important in attracting them to the industry. In that study, Integrating Younger Adults into Trucking Careers, younger drivers identified the following as critical factors for training, recruiting, and retaining younger drivers:
The term “justice-involved individual” has emerged in recent years as a more humanizing alternative to labels like “inmate,” “criminal,” “prisoner,” “convict,” “felon,” or “offender.” It broadly refers to individuals who have had contact with the criminal justice system – whether they are currently or were previously incarcerated, on probation or parole, or involved in diversion programs or pretrial supervision.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) estimates that 60% of formerly incarcerated people do not have employment. Of those who are employed, common occupations include waste management, construction, manufacturing, and food services sectors.
There is an opportunity for the trucking industry to consider individuals with justice-involvement for employment to help address the ongoing driver shortage while also providing a pathway for reintegration into society.
A majority of justice-involved individuals are on probation (55.3%), an alternative to serving prison or jail time, while 22.7 percent are in prison, 12.9% are on parole (conditional release after serving prison time), and 12.3% are in a local jail.
The introduction to truck driving opportunities for justice-involved individuals may come at different phases. Some DOCs work with local training programs, motor carriers, and/or nonprofits to prepare drivers prior to their release (like Emerge Career), while others connect justice-involved individuals with employment after reentry release (like FreeWorld).
The opportunity to start a new career shortly after leaving jail or prison can provide individuals with a sense of humanity and, in the words of one justice-involved individual, a “chance to right their wrongs.” The founders of the Emerge Center recognized the challenges incarcerated individuals faced when seeking employment after release and sought to address labor shortages in various industrial sectors, including trucking. One of the individuals that they helped become a truck driver said, “As much as you may have made mistakes in life, it kind of makes you feel like you’re still a human being,” referencing the opportunity to have a promising new career just months after leaving jail.
Some prisons are now providing access to CDL programs, such as those offered by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to help reduce recidivism and improve post-release employment outcomes. As of 2022, six federal prisons offered CDL license programs in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas. Many states also offer programs/partnerships that give justice-involved individuals access to CDL training.
The type of offense a justice-involved individual has is the most critical factor considered, with 78% of carriers ranking it as their top consideration and 94% including it in their top three. Figure 25 below displays the percentage of motor carriers that ranked each factor in their top three. Time elapsed since offense was ranked second, with 87% of carriers including it in their top three, followed by the quantity of offenses (80%). While factors such as work experience, rehabilitation, and character testimonials were ranked lower on average, a majority of fleets still reported considering them in the hiring process.
A full copy of the report is available through ATRI's website here.
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