Trucking Has a Driver Shortage? Then Explain 90% Turnover | Brake Check episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 11, 2026 · 59 MIN

Trucking Has a Driver Shortage? Then Explain 90% Turnover | Brake Check

from FreightCasts · host FreightWaves

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 ⁠Follow the Brake Check Podcast⁠ ⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 11, 2026

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Trucking Has a Driver Shortage? Then Explain 90% Turnover | Brake Check

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