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I do too. As a lumber broker we have directly been impacted by the driver shortage over the last several years.
Generally, most truck drivers are underpaid.
Even today, in many places in the country, companies are paying between $22-25/hour for a truck driver.

It is a hard job. You are away from home.

However, when I ask the owners/dispatchers of actual trucking companies they all state the same reason as to why it is so difficult to find drivers:

THEY CAN NOT PASS A DRUG TEST

This is especially difficult in states like OR where ALL drugs are legal.

Why is this a concern for the owners of trucking companies?
A new tractor costs between $160K-200K.
The trailer being pulled cost another $75K.
The product on the trailer maybe worth another $100K

So, IF you were that owner of a trucking company would you want to be responsible for the liability insurance on a driver that can not pass a drug test when they are in your very expensive equipment.

“However, when I ask the owners/dispatchers of actual trucking companies they all state the same reason as to why it is so difficult to find drivers:.....”THEY CAN NOT PASS A DRUG TEST”

Unfortunately, it is just a guess but maybe why the drug test factor is so big in finding truck drivers has to do with the population cohort of who is attracted to being a truck driver - why do so many attracted to that work have drug issues.

And, I know the full drug issue is more than just illicit drugs.

I have a nephew who has been suspended from driving a long haul truck more than once for a drug issue - he’d ignore taking his diabetes drugs and doing so would affect his blood sugar levels, resulting in problems driving. His employer required diabetes blood tests from him before every run and demanded to see he had his prescription drugs available for the length of a run.

When he was younger he had the other kind of drug problem - illicit drugs, and I think the length of that experience chemically altered his brain wiring, especially in critical decision making.

My kid that I mentioned in post 17 runs flatbed semi’s for a lumberyard and occasional truss loads.

Of course he passes the drug screening. The yard hired him based solely on a recommendation from a former boss. They bought him a brand new tractor trailer rig when they hired him.

I’ve told him that especially during the lockdowns, he had the most important job in the family. By delivering lumber to jobsites, he was keeping hundreds of men employed.

Even today, in many places in the country, companies are paying between $22-25/hour for a truck driver. It is a hard job. You are away from home.

The hourly pay only applies to local and short-haul drivers. Long-haul drivers are typically paid by the MILE, not the hour. When you account for all the time a long-haul driver spends away from home when he's not moving (parked at a loading dock, sleeping at a truck stop, etc.) and yet still does not have control of his own life, you'll probably find that driving a truck is effectively a minimum wage job.