Driver turnover rises

The turnover rate for over-the-road truck drivers rose to 79 percent in the second quarter, according to American Trucking Associations’ latest Trucking Activity Report, marking the third quarter in a row of increased churn in the driver market.

The turnover rate for drivers at large truckload fleets rose four basis points from the first quarter’s rate of 75 percent, pushing the rate to its highest point since the second quarter of 2008.

“Even though the increase was small, we still believe the market for quality drivers is getting extremely tight and fleets are aggressively recruiting to fill their openings,” said Bob Costello, ATA chief economist. “The slowdown of the economic recovery has affected the turnover rate, but if the economy continues to improve, we’ll see further tightening in the driver market and a renewed risk of a severe driver shortage.”

Turnover at small truckload companies and less-than-truckload fleets fell in the quarter, dropping to 47 percent from 50 percent for small TL firms and to 6 percent from 8 percent for LTLs.

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