An association representing independent truckers has released a video disputing a trucking industry talking point about a current shortage of drivers, saying the real problem is companies refusing to pay high enough wages to retain employees.

The video featuring Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer highlights a fundamental split between independent drivers and large carriers, which are represented by the American Trucking Associations. The latter group claims more than 50,000 drivers are needed to fill current openings and is pushing for legislative changes such as allowing 18-to-21-year-old drivers to cross state lines. OOIDA, on the other hand, says lowering the legal age would make roads less safe and avoids the real problem plaguing the industry: high turnover because trucking wages have not kept pace with inflation.

The vast majority of people who enter trucking are gone within a year because of low wages, Spencer said. Big carries rely on high turnover to keep costs low.

"You can be profitable in trucking even with 100 percent driver turnover, as we see all the time," Spencer said. "It's a crazy way to do business. No other business would be like that. It sacrifices a whole lot of things, not the least of which is highway safety."

OOIDA believes large carriers perpetuate the "myth" of a driver shortage to pursue policy changes that would hurt independent drivers. ATA maintains the driver shortage is very real and poses a significant problem for the industry.

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