According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA) of Arlington, VA, there is a truck driver shortage in the Truck Load / non-local portion of the trucking industry. In an article released in November 2012, the ATA quoted a study which stated 90% of the over-the-road carriers surveyed could not find enough drivers that meet the company and DOT requirements.
The ATA estimates the current shortage to be in the 20,000 to 25,000 range. The ATA expects the shortage to continue to grow to as high as 239,000 by 2022.
The ATA blames changes in the hours-of-service (HOS) regulations for "exacerbating the shortage."
In the same article, the ATA stated there are approximately 750,000 trucks which are working the over-the-road runs and that approximately 4% (or roughly 30,000 drivers) "violate weekly HOS limits."