American Trucking Associations (ATA), the largest and most comprehensive trade association representing the nation’s trucking industry, recently participated in a roundtable discussion on driver retention hosted by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. ATA’s Executive Vice Presidency of Advocacy Bill Sullivan joined U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and FMCSA Deputy Administrator Meera Joshi, along with a panel of other stakeholders, to discuss challenges and opportunities facing the trucking workforce and federal policymakers.

“The COVID pandemic made Americans more acutely aware of how critical truckers are in sustaining the high standards of living we enjoy in this country,” said Sullivan. “We appreciate Secretaries Buttigieg and Walsh and FMCSA Deputy Administrator Joshi for their leadership in providing a forum to strengthen collaboration as we work together on positive solutions that improve highway safety, make our supply chain more resilient and grow our workforce.”

Sullivan addressed several topics, including the industry’s proactive safety record, support for improved infrastructure and the growing need for more truck drivers across the country. The trucking industry moves more than 72% of total domestic freight tonnage, with more than 80% of U.S. communities relying exclusively on trucks to receive their goods. Projections show the industry will need to hire roughly 1.1 million new drivers over the next decade, or an average of nearly 110,000 per year, to keep pace with retirements and the nation’s growing freight transportation needs.