We are all too familiar with the weekly ritual of grocery shopping.

Whether it's a trip to Coles, Woolworths, or ALDI, we rely on these stores to keep our pantries stocked and our fridges full.

However, an alarming situation could affect how we shop and what we find on the shelves in the coming months.

The heart of the issue lies in the driver's seat of delivery trucks.

Australia is facing a significant shortage of truck drivers, effectively threatening national supply chains.

According to the National Road Transport Association, Australia needs 26,000 new drivers to address the predicament.

The trucking industry has been dominated by an older demographic, with a small number of new drivers joining in. Image Credit: Pexels/Quintin Gellar

With New South Wales road freight requirements expected to surge by 57 per cent by 2040, the trucking industry called for national action to keep the industry afloat.

The lack of drivers could be a potential crisis for our national economy.

With supply chains being the backbone of many businesses, the entire system could collapse without enough drivers.

The trucking industry has been grappling with an ageing workforce.

According to an International Road Transport Union survey, nearly half of the truck drivers are over 55 years old.

As these drivers approach retirement, the industry struggles to onboard new drivers to take the wheel.

Only 5.3 per cent of truck drivers are under 25, and a mere 6.5 per cent of these drivers are female.

To steer the industry back into its course, trucking companies started offering incentives to make trucking an appealing career choice for the new workforce members.

The possible incentives could include:

• Funding for training programs.
• Clearer pathways into the trucking profession.
• Access to apprenticeships.
• Improving overall work conditions.

As the trucking industry faces this predicament, shoppers should be prepared for potential changes in shopping habits.

It could be time to support local stores and consider alternative sources for our groceries, such as farmers' markets or community agriculture programs.

In the meantime, let's show our appreciation for the truck drivers who keep our shelves stocked.

Without them, our weekly shopping trips would look very different.

Key Takeaways

• Australian shoppers could face empty supermarket shelves due to a shortage of truck drivers affecting supply chains.
• Australia needs about 26,000 more truck drivers across all types of businesses in the trucking industry.
• The National Road Transport Association called for national cabinet action as the driver shortage could cause a crisis for the economy.
• The trucking industry continues to face a huge age gap, and revamping the trucking industry's incentives could entice younger workers to consider trucking.

Have you noticed any changes in stock levels during your shopping trips? Share your thoughts and opinions with us in the comments below.

 

[marni]

And that is the penalty for enjoying the work one does. There are many in assorted jobs who love the work but if they argue that their pay is inadequate for the effort and their experience, it's down the road for you (mate) as there are plenty more where you came from. As put to me by one such employer, if you are standing in shit but it keeps your feet warm...........Trade Unions can help change that attitude, as they have done for many during the last 200 years.

And that’s the reason all companies go
Overseas. The unions have made our labour unaffordable. There is no good to increase wages as everything else has to go up to cover costs.

 

[Gsr]

The government needs to offer incentives like other industries which have shortages get, eg teaching, nursing. After all truck drivers are an essential service, without them everyone in the country suffers in one way or another.

 

[Rob44]

Damn! Shortage of toilet paper coming up! Back to using eucalyptus leaves............

 

[Rob44]

And that’s the reason all companies go
Overseas. The unions have made our labour unaffordable. There is no good to increase wages as everything else has to go up to cover costs.

Yes $1 a day in Vietnam for unskilled labour; $4 USD a day in the Philippines and Thailand (rates may have increased in the last few years) but Oz can never compete with Asian wage-slave labour; dunno about the textile industry in the Indian sub-continent, but I have heard some employers chain their employees to the work bench. In the 1920s the Jowett Car Company in the UK allowed employees three visits to the toilet per working day and the employee had to fill in a time card and clock in and out of the bog, and there was a time limit to one's business in the bog.

Yes, cut Aussie wages to $2 per hour if you want to be competitive with Asia. My professional counterparts working in Vietnam were paid between $20 and $30 a month when I was working there andthey had to moonlight in second jobs to survive. I think they might get $300 a month, now. It is one reason why Vietnam is now very corrupt and a bit of cash under the table is expected.

That's okay; damn the Trade Unions! $2 an hour is a useful wage (that's all of $320 a month if no overtime) and could make Australia competitive again.

 

[Jan Purcell]

Gee what is this country coming to, short on drivers, short on nurses and teachers and also short on crossing supervisors.

 

[peteloo]

I always wonder why we can’t use the railway as an effective alternative mode of cargo transportation.

 

[Rob44]

Yes. I actually saw a car trying to cut down the left hand side of a truck once in a turning lane meant only for one vehicle at a time.

My attention was drawn to this by the excruciating sound of metal being crushed. The car's left hand wheels were hard against the kerb & the driver's side up past the driver's door was wedged hard against the side of the truck. I didn't see how it ended because l was going through the lights at the time.

Don't people know that they must give trucks & buses the respect they deserve & be aware of the stopping distance needed? These vehicles don't swing wide for fun when turning. Until people drive one of these vehicles (as l have), l guess they will never truly understand these facts. Some trucks carry a sign on the rear stating that they need the left side clear when turning & keep a certain distance from the rear when parking.

A friend of mine of long ago used to drive buses etc. He laughingly recounted to me the story of one expensive Jaguar that gave out the excruciating screech of metal being crushed when the driver tried exactly that. The Jag driver was okay, but probably wouldn't do it again. He said it was a common type of problem faced by bus drivers. Likewise when pulling left into bus-stops; some people trying to cut through on the inside left.

 

[Rob44]

I always wonder why we can’t use the railway as an effective alternative mode of cargo transportation.

That option got wrecked in Tasmania when assorted State governments shut down Hobart's city-centre rail-yards, then spent millions building a transport interchange about 30 kilometres north of Hobart then ripped up one of the dual railway lines into the city to make a bicycle track, not to mention removing suburban railway stations, and now are building a multi-billion dollar 4-lane highway bridge over the Derwent River with no rail lines to replace the old lifting ridge that had a double rail-track and coped adequately with two lanes of traffic.

So that's the end of possible suburban commuting by railway, as well as freight (and tourist) transport by rail from Devonport's Bass Strait ferry terminal into Hobart's city centre; and now you can all sit in your SUVs and utes in traffice jams between 7am and 9am and 3.30pm and 6 pm whilst heavy trucks motor in and out of the city to carry in heavy freight that once eithe came by sea or by rail; ho hum. That's modern Tasmanian State planning for you, whatever the political party that holds government. And now they are talking about a rapid-transit bus system for Hobart. The current suburban bus system is useless becase everyone wants to drive to work, one person to a car, and there are too few passengers having to pay too much and it is inconvenient anyway to travel by public transport, isn't it?

 

[Ezzy]

That option got wrecked in Tasmania when assorted State governments shut down Hobart's city-centre rail-yards, then spent millions building a transport interchange about 30 kilometres north of Hobart then ripped up one of the dual railway lines into the city to make a bicycle track, not to mention removing suburban railway stations, and now are building a multi-billion dollar 4-lane highway bridge over the Derwent River with no rail lines to replace the old lifting ridge that had a double rail-track and coped adequately with two lanes of traffic.

So that's the end of possible suburban commuting by railway, as well as freight (and tourist) transport by rail from Devonport's Bass Strait ferry terminal into Hobart's city centre; and now you can all sit in your SUVs and utes in traffice jams between 7am and 9am and 3.30pm and 6 pm whilst heavy trucks motor in and out of the city to carry in heavy freight that once eithe came by sea or by rail; ho hum. That's modern Tasmanian State planning for you, whatever the political party that holds government. And now they are talking about a rapid-transit bus system for Hobart. The current suburban bus system is useless becase everyone wants to drive to work, one person to a car, and there are too few passengers having to pay too much and it is inconvenient anyway to travel by public transport, isn't it?

Obviously the Government haven't learnt what is workable & what is not. Will any State or Federal Government ever learn from their mistakes? I think not!

 

[Ezzy]

A friend of mine of long ago used to drive buses etc. He laughingly recounted to me the story of one expensive Jaguar that gave out the excruciating screech of metal being crushed when the driver tried exactly that. The Jag driver was okay, but probably wouldn't do it again. He said it was a common type of problem faced by bus drivers. Likewise when pulling left into bus-stops; some people trying to cut through on the inside left.

A very expensive mistake! What did he put on his Insurance Claim? l'd like to know.

 

[Rob44]

Obviously the Government haven't learnt what is workable & what is not. Will any State or Federal Government ever learn from their mistakes? I think not!

Public transport is not rocket science; the UK once had it well sorted between 1945 and 1959 when began Dr Beeching's cuts to local railway lines and Marples-Ridgeway began construction of the first British motorway. Ernest Marples, Minister of Transport being married to a Director of Marples-Ridgway at the time, might have been a coincidence of surnames.

Other places to learn from; Los Angeles, Bangkok and even the former car-free Hanoi. Tasmania is still Mediaeval in its planning, or possibly Feudal.

 

[Annna]

More use of rail would improve the situation somewhat,I feel.Smaller trucks could then move product to stores from railway stations. Big semi's require tough licenses whereas smaller trucks/lorries not so hard to get.There are more drivers with such licenses,I imagine.

Exactly, get freight moving by rail!

Create jobs for truck drivers driving from train station to depot and point of sale locations (smaller trucks and shorter distances).

 

[Annna]

Sorry, off truck topic but on the subject of rail. A while back, I went to Toowoomba and was told the only transport back to Brisbane for those without cars was the Greyhound bus.

Someone there also mentioned that there is a rail line from Brisbane but that it's inoperative.

I wonder why this line was originally established (at a cost of big $$$$) to then be shut down. Toowoomba seemed like a functioning city with an enormous university campus.

Given the need for housing in SE Queensland and for freight movement purposes, I felt that it would be beneficial for Toowoomba and for many locations between it and Brisbane if rail transport was reinstated.

Naive maybe, but the same thought crosses my mind when I see old pictures of Brisbane (and Sydney) with working trams that were done away with and are now being reinstated as light rail systems.

 

[Rob44]

Exactly, get freight moving by rail!

Create jobs for truck drivers driving from train station to depot and point of sale locations (smaller trucks and shorter distances).

Exactly, get freight moving by rail!

Create jobs for truck drivers driving from train station to depot and point of sale locations (smaller trucks and shorter distances).

As formerly done in the UK and NZ back in the bad old days of the 1950s and 1960s?

 

[Robyn Rowe]

Why isn't there more investment in rail for long distance movement of freight?

Since roads pose a problem (long distance movements) in terms of rogue motorists, trains may offer a solution by hauling freight over the longer routes from gate to capital cities.

Trucks could then move goods from there to stores/depots.

Would get rail infrastructure covering it's costs and offer employment.

Linfox and Lindsay Bros have a huge rail network, costs a pretty penny too

 

[Robyn Rowe]

As formerly done in the UK and NZ back in the bad old days of the 1950s and 1960s?

You mean prior to container freighting, nothing goes without being in a container nowadays except coal

 

[Jumping Jack Flash]

There goes the toilet paper. - hurry

And you know what? that will probably be the 'solution'.....

 

[Towing]

I was a professional driver in a 'past life'
It was eye-opening when I was driving for the NSW PTC (as it was back then) to celebrate the retirement of a older driver, and then 12 months or so later, be informed of his funeral.
Driving a heavy vehicle is stressful - not just the pressures of keeping a timetable (even the long-distance drivers are required to be somewhere at a specific-ish time), but dealing with all the other drivers on the road who are just aware that while they may be able to stop their 1.5 tonne car in 50m or 60m, it takes a *lot* longer for a bus or truck to come to a stop.
and all the numpties that try to cut down the inside when you turn left from wide, and then bitch that you scratched their car...
it's no wonder that no-one wants to drive these vehicles anymore. I'm not saying it's "all bad" - I drove for a small private bus firm in south-west Sydney, and the pax were (almost) all great!
but yeah, it's one job I don't regret leaving.

It's exactly what I have heard drivers say. A truck doesn't stop on 3d (meaning the distance)......or you are gradually pushed against the kerb and the driver of the car then scapes his mirror along the side of your truck and breaks it - then goes to the Police station and reports it and can't give a clear statement that makes any sense.

 

[Towing]

I thought that they were really well paid? (truck drivers)

It they are travelling long distance they have to buy meals. There is a limit you can take because of space in your"cabin" even if you have a small car fridge. Also keeping food fresh. To keep healthy they buy healthy reasonably priced meals. Most have their "regular" places they stop. If the food price jumps too much or quality deteriorates information spread amongst drivers very quickly. Having to buy meals and drinks ((not alcohol)) becomes expensive especially in some areas. If they really need a shower they have to find one they can use (and of course pay for it). They sleep on a very narrow mattress behind their front seats. Some now fill in the log books every time they stop because if you are a few minutes late (yes, I mean just minutes) and you are checked the fine is $$$$. Sometimes the height of your load from the road is measured too. (yes, there is a limit). All things considered drivers do not clear much money.

 

[Towing]

Its not only truck drivers, it’s the same with Bus Drivers and the industry was told over 20 years ago that this was going to happen but they ignored us and now here we are.
The industry needs to be turned upside down and given a bloody good shake up because as it is now, they won’t get young drivers coming through. The main problem is the fact that most of the time, it’s only casual work so there’s no security, the hours are totally unsociable, then add to that the totally ridiculous fines they can face for simple mistakes in their log books and of course no one wants the job

Yes, If you have family you see very little of them. Some drive all night, get home at about 9.00am, grab a bite to eat, go to bed and get up for the evening meal, have a shower and hit the road again at about 7.30 pm - for 5 or 6 days before a couple of days off.