Driver shortage claims emerge at FMCSA nominee hearing

Whether or not there is a shortage of truck drivers emerged as a focus of a Senate hearing to consider the nomination for the next FMCSA administrator.

The argument has been a contentious one in the trucking industry.

The American Trucking Associations has long claimed that there is a massive and growing shortage of truck drivers. Recent estimates claim that the industry lacks 80,000 truck drivers to meet freight shipping demands.

On the other hand, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association argues that the problem isn’t a shortage at all. Instead, OOIDA calls it a driver retention issue caused by low pay and poor working conditions. OOIDA points to large carriers’ driver turnover rates of 90% or more, as well as to a 2019 report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that said there was not a driver shortage. In addition, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has recently noted that 300,000 drivers leave the industry every year.

During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on Wednesday, June 8, Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., put FMCSA nominee Robin Hutcheson right in the middle of that debate.

Young, who introduced a bill that would lower the interstate truck driving age to 18 as a way to curb a shortage, asked Hutcheson to weigh in.

“Do you believe there is a truck driver shortage in the United States of America?” Young asked. “Not a trick question.”

Hutcheson responded, “Senator, I believe there is a truck driver shortage in the United States of America.”

The answer from Hutcheson, who currently serves as FMCSA’s acting administrator, appeared to be a deviation from the administration’s recent approach to the debate. The U.S. Department of Transportation and Department of Labor hosted a driver retention roundtable in July 2021 to look at ways to keep truck drivers in the industry. In addition, the administration’s Trucking Action Plan is conducting studies on driver compensation and detention time and is creating a task force to stop predatory lease-purchase agreements as part of an overall effort to improve the profession and increase retention. The Department of Transportation also recommended that Congress address the nation’s truck parking crisis and remove the motor carrier overtime exemption in the Fair Labor Standards Act as ways to improve the supply chain.

In response to a question from Land Line after the hearing, FMCSA provided some clarification and a little more nuance on the subject.

“During the pandemic, there have been truck driver capacity challenges intensified both by shortages in some areas and largely by high turnover in the field,” an FMCSA spokesperson said.

The agency added that 2021 was the best year for trucking employment since 1994.

“We’re working to recruit a diverse workforce, but also to address retention issues like trucker pay, parking and leasing arrangements,” FMCSA said. “The bipartisan infrastructure law and the Biden-Harris Trucking Action Plan provides FMCSA with tools to support drivers and improve driver retention while expanding access to quality driving jobs now and in the years ahead.”

OOIDA remains firm in its stance that there is not a driver shortage and that the administration should be focused on improving the quality of the truck driving profession rather than recruiting a new crop of drivers, who will soon leave because the same problems in the industry remain.

OOIDA President Todd Spencer released the following statement regarding Wednesday’s hearing.

During today’s nomination hearing, several U.S. Senators and the FMCSA Administrator Nominee Robin Hutcheson supported the notion of a truck driver shortage throughout the trucking industry, something that our Association has adamantly refuted.

Some senators and even Ms. Hutcheson herself seemed to indicate that prioritizing the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program, which will allow under-21 drivers to operate in interstate commerce, is the best way to recruit more drivers. Make no mistake, this approach will result in more highway fatalities and will not address the systemic problems that make it difficult for individuals to sustain a steady career in trucking.

Ms. Hutcheson’s testimony acknowledged that enhancing driver compensation, reducing excessive detention time, eliminating predatory truck leasing schemes and bringing in more women into the industry are all “long-term” solutions that FMCSA is working on. However, if the agency is serious about reversing staggering crash numbers and improving driver retention, then these actions and many others must come before ensuring that younger drivers can enter the profession.

During her tenure as acting administrator, Ms. Hutcheson has repeatedly remarked that truck parking is a top priority for FMCSA. While the Federal Highway Administration has general jurisdiction over truck parking matters, we were disappointed that there was no discussion about the need for expanding parking capacity at a time when Congressional Leaders are telling the Department of Transportation that the lack of parking remains a critical safety issue that requires immediate attention.

Today’s response regarding a mythical driver shortage, a recent proposal to advance mandatory speed limiters on commercial trucks and putting critical interests on the backburner raises concerns about what policies will be prioritized by the agency under Ms. Hutcheson. We look forward to reviewing any clarifications or further responses on additional questions submitted for the record.

 

Nomination

The driver shortage claims took center stage of a hearing aimed at considering the nominations of Hutcheson as FMCSA administrator, as well as Michael Morgan and Sean Burton to roles in the Department of Commerce and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, respectively.

President Joe Biden nominated Hutcheson in April to be the agency’s next permanent administrator.

Hutcheson has served FMCSA in the acting administrator role since January.

She served as the U.S. Department of Transportation’s deputy assistant secretary for safety policy starting in January 2021.

The committee is expected to vote on Hutcheson’s nomination within the next month. Then, the nomination would move to the full Senate. LL