Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Trucking says it has a DRIVER SHORTAGE. So why are some carriers still burning through drivers at 90%+ turnover?
Maybe trucking doesn't have a recruiting problem. Maybe it has a job worth keeping problem.
On this episode of Brake Check, Charles Gracey digs into why professional drivers leave and why the industry's answer always seems to be recruiting MORE people instead of fixing what sends them out the door.
Sherri Garner Brumbaugh, CEO of Garner Transportation Group and former ATA Chair, breaks down what her fleet does differently to retain drivers and faces tough questions about the disconnect between drivers, carriers and the organizations representing trucking in Washington.
Then Charles brings on fellow SiriusXM Road Dog host Dan Ronan joins the conversation to tackle the numbers, the driver cycle and what drivers are saying that trucking's boardrooms still aren't hearing.
We get into:
• 90%+ driver turnover
• The “driver shortage” debate
• Pay and unpaid working time
• Home time and dispatch
• Why good drivers actually leave
• Recruiting vs. retention
• The ATA-driver disconnect
• What successful fleets do differently
• Whether trucking has built jobs people actually want to keep
You can recruit veterans, women, younger drivers and every other untapped workforce in America but if the job doesn't change, you're just pouring more people into a leaking bucket.
Stop replacing drivers.
Start giving them a reason to stay.
This is Brake Check. Let's go full stop.
#Trucking #TruckDrivers #DriverShortage #TruckingIndustry #TruckDriver #Freight #OwnerOperator #DriverRetention #BrakeCheck
Trucking says it has a DRIVER SHORTAGE. So why are some carriers still burning through drivers at 90%+ turnover?
Maybe trucking doesn't have a recruiting problem. Maybe it has a job worth keeping problem.
On this episode of Brake Check, Charles Gracey digs into why professional drivers leave and why the industry's answer always seems to be recruiting MORE people instead of fixing what sends them out the door.
Sherri Garner Brumbaugh, CEO of Garner Transportation Group and former ATA Chair, breaks down what her fleet does differently to retain drivers and faces tough questions about the disconnect between drivers, carriers and the organizations representing trucking in Washington.
Then Charles brings on fellow SiriusXM Road Dog host Dan Ronan joins the conversation to tackle the numbers, the driver cycle and what drivers are saying that trucking's boardrooms still aren't hearing.
We get into:
• 90%+ driver turnover
• The “driver shortage” debate
• Pay and unpaid working time
• Home time and dispatch
• Why good drivers actually leave
• Recruiting vs. retention
• The ATA-driver disconnect
• What successful fleets do differently
• Whether trucking has built jobs people actually want to keep
You can recruit veterans, women, younger drivers and every other untapped workforce in America but if the job doesn't change, you're just pouring more people into a leaking bucket.
Stop replacing drivers.
Start giving them a reason to stay.
This is Brake Check. Let's go full stop.
#Trucking #TruckDrivers #DriverShortage #TruckingIndustry #TruckDriver #Freight #OwnerOperator #DriverRetention #BrakeCheck
