Labour Shortage

: This means the industry is facing a looming labour shortage that could reach 48,000 drivers by the year 2024, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance, according to Huffington Post Canada. Trucks on the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit, Mich., 2014. And after driving five million kilometres, the 57 year-old still enjoys the freedom of the road. "For the most part, there nobody looking over my shoulder telling me what to do," says Fielding, who hails from McKellar, Ont. "I have an assignment and I'm left to do it at my own pace and how I think it should be done." But as Fielding and thousands like him near retirement age, the industry is struggling to recruit young people who share his enthusiam for the job. The average age of a truck driver is over 47 — up from 45 in 2013 — and almost 30 per cent of the driving force is 55 or over, which makes it one of the oldest workforces in Canada, according to the organization president. "Tens of thousands of them are nearing retirement and we're not getting anywhere near our commensurate share of new drivers into the business," says David Bradley. Fielding, for example, usually works 10-14 days straight, with three days off between trips. There are multiple reasons for the looming shortage, but many believe the lifestyle simply isn't attractive to a younger generation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.