Wisconsin has lost nearly 10% of its truck drivers since 2010, a new report shows.
The report was released this month by the Wisconsin Policy forum, and outlines how the number of truck drivers has dropped between 2010 and 2025 as the volume of goods needing transportation in the state rises.
According to the report, 70% of the goods transported through Wisconsin are moved by CMVs on state highways. The number of these shipments grew 33% between 2019 and 2023, and the country is expected to experience a 50% increase nationwide by 2050.
The report shows that Wisconsin had 224,860 commercial drivers to transport those goods back in 2010, but had only 204,766 valid CDL holders by 2025. This marks a 8.9% decrease over the last 15 years.
“As our reliance on heavy trucks has grown, the number of people in Wisconsin licensed to drive them has dropped by more than 20,000 drivers, or 8.9%, over the past 15 years. The remaining drivers are also older than others on the road, which suggests the supply of them could shrink even further,” the report reads.
“Each year, Wisconsin has about 6,000 job openings that require heavy truck licenses, according to the state Department of Workforce Development. Younger drivers are not filling these openings; less than a quarter of licensed heavy truck drivers are under 40 years old. Driver shortages – either overall or in specific niches – could affect the reliability and cost of shipping, putting upward pressure on prices,” the report continued.
The average age for all Wisconsin CDL holders is 51.4 years old, while 58.7% of all licensed commercial truck drivers were 50 years old or older in 2025, and almost 25% were between 60 and 69 years old.
No solutions were presented as part of the report, but the report does reference the potential need for self-driving vehicles and an enhanced railway transportation system.
“Self-driving vehicles may eventually lead to a reduced need for skilled drivers behind the wheel, particularly for long highway routes between cities. However, as the slow progress of deploying even a partially autonomous technology like platooning shows, advances may not come fast enough to address short-term acute shortages,” reads the report.
“Finally, continued investment in other types of transportation may allow a shift of goods from one type of transportation to another. Improving freight rail, for example, may help alleviate the driver shortage. Ultimately, as the state’s latest intermodal freight report states, ‘Trucking plays a vital role….However, an overreliance on any one mode can create challenges within the transportation system.’”
