Australia’s trucking labour shortage

Australia’s trucking labour shortage is now reaching critical levels. Calls for major legislative reform in the industry from individuals, companies and organisations have often fallen on deaf ears. But is it about to change?

The trucking industry is the backbone of Australia’s economy. Regarded as the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and 13th largest in the world, it constantly transports a plethora of goods and services to producers and consumers across the country, tirelessly maintaining its intricate flow.

And as the country’s freight task is expected to increase 57 per cent by the year 2040, the sector, as it fast becoming evident, will only become more important. But despite this essential role in delivering a high quality of life to Australians around the country, the trucking industry faces an extreme and ongoing labour shortage that threatens Australia’s supply chain.

The National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) has attempted to engage with the government in the hopes of inciting positive change.

NatRoad’s 2024 Call to the National Cabinet revealed alarming statistics from its industry survey, completed in collaboration with the International Road Transport Union (IRU). This survey found that in July of this year, there were over 26,000 vacant truck driving positions across Australia, with the number to increase should the industry fail to act.

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Source: Prime Mover