Trucking jobs fall to lowest point since 2021, more losses ahead likely

Thousands more trucking jobs have been eliminated, sinking capacity to its lowest levels in years amid a federal crackdown on non-domiciled CDLs and drivers who are not proficient in English.

More than 4,000 trucking jobs were lost in November, the fourth consecutive monthly decline and second-largest loss of the year. In the last three months, nearly 14,000 truck driver positions have vanished, the largest three-month decline since October 2023 when 31,000 jobs were lost. That was the result of more than 30,000 truck drivers losing their jobs after Yellow folded.

November’s loss comes after 8,000 trucking jobs were dropped in September, the largest monthly decline since February 2023 and the third-largest decline since the COVID pandemic. Large job losses coincide with the federal government policies going after certain non-compliant truck drivers.

According to the latest government numbers, there are nearly 1,510,000 trucking jobs in the books. That is the fewest number of truck drivers since June 2021 and below February 2020 numbers.

In May, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the revival of out-of-service requirements for English-proficiency violations. On Dec. 10, Duffy claimed that 9,500 truck drivers had been put out of service for failing to speak English.

We’ve now knocked 9,500 truck drivers out of service for failing to speak our national language — ENGLISH!

This administration will always put you and your family’s safety first.🚚 https://t.co/mRVsMI26Ir

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) December 10, 2025

In September, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued an interim final rule restricting the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said the rule would eliminate nearly 200,000 CDLs. However, the rule has been put on hold following a lawsuit challenging it.

It is not clear how many of the trucking jobs lost in the past several months are a direct result of the DOT’s policies. Nevertheless, the correlation is strong.

David Spencer, vice president of market intelligence at Arrive Logistics, pointed out that seasonal rates have been strong despite relatively weak demand. He said this supports the idea that large numbers of truck drivers are leaving. More exits are likely.

“This is likely a preview of what is to come in 2026,” Spencer said. “If capacity continues to exit as a result of regulatory challenges, then more balanced supply and demand conditions will lead to more volatility with spot rates, particularly during periods of increased seasonal demand. It also increases the probability and likelihood of a larger, more sustained disruption.”

With one month left, 2025 is set to be the third consecutive year to end with fewer truck drivers. In 2023, more than 53,000 trucking jobs were lost, followed by nearly 18,000 last year. Still, there were 100,000 more truck drivers from 2021 through 2022. New carriers tried to take advantage of high rates in the wake of the pandemic, which created a surge in economic activity.

Jobs in the transportation sector as a whole are also on a downward trajectory. Nearly 18,000 jobs were lost in November, the third straight drop. In addition to fewer trucking jobs, nearly 18,000 courier and messenger jobs were eliminated. Increases were seen in transit/ground passenger transportation (3,100 jobs), air transport (1,900) and warehousing/storage (1,900).

Across the entire economy, only 64,000 jobs were added in November. However, there was a more than 100,000 net loss in October. Consequently, the unemployment rate has jumped to 4.6%, the highest since September 2021. LL