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Trucking Has a Driver Shortage? Then Explain 90% Turnover | Brake Check
59 minutes Posted Aug 11, 2026 at 3:33 pm.
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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
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