What are the direct effects of America's severe shortage of truck drivers?

Being a handsome card friend is very tiring, I really understand this.

That's why your Amazon order takes longer to arrive and the retailer charges you more for your usual selection.

There is currently a severe shortage of truck drivers in the United States, and the situation is only going to get worse.

According to a 2017 report by the American Trucking Association (ATA), the U.S. was short of roughly 36,500 drivers in 2016. The report projects that if current trends continue, the shortfall will widen to 174,000 by 2026.

According to the ATA report, nearly 900,000 drivers will need to be hired over the next decade to meet demand.

As a result, the cost for retailers to move merchandise is "one of the highest we've seen," Mark Montague, senior industry pricing analyst at DATSolutions, told us.

In April, it cost retailers up to 30 per cent more to deliver goods by truck than last year, according to DAT. Amazon's own shipping costs rose 38% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2018, but sales only rose 18%.

“If retailers want to get items to market on schedule, they’re either going to have to buy premium shipping or they’re going to have to wait longer,” Montague said in an interview.

Amazon lists shipping rate hikes for April, Business Insider's Akin Oyedele reports.

an unwelcome job

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, truck drivers earn an average of $23.99 an hour. The job is demanding. Drivers are alone most of the day, working potentially 70 hours a week, and living away from home for weeks.

Robert Sanders, 66, who worked as a truck driver from 1973 to 2016, told us: "Nobody wants to be paid ridiculously low rates in a stressful and dangerous job. The salary is monitored 14 hours a day, and it will last for a few weeks." "You can also do a job, so that after you work for 8 hours, you will be appreciated and get better pay."

As the economy improves, many would-be truck drivers are looking for work in construction or energy, Montague said. These jobs paid better wages than truck driving to begin with, and also allowed workers to live at home.

The tight labor market has also contributed to a shortage of fast food -- another low-wage, unpopular industry. This is what drives up the price of Prime members.

"Prime has never been more valuable to customers than it is now," Amazon Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky said on a quarterly earnings call. pointed out that we continue to see rising costs, particularly in terms of shipping options and digital efficiencies.”

an unwelcome job

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, truck drivers earn an average of $23.99 an hour. The job is demanding. Drivers are alone most of the day, working potentially 70 hours a week, and living away from home for weeks.

Robert Sanders, 66, who worked as a truck driver from 1973 to 2016, told us: "Nobody wants to be paid ridiculously low rates in a stressful and dangerous job. The salary is monitored 14 hours a day, and it will last for a few weeks." "You can also do a job, so that after you work for 8 hours, you will be appreciated and get better pay."

As the economy improves, many would-be truck drivers are looking for work in construction or energy, Montague said. These jobs paid better wages than truck driving to begin with, and also allowed workers to live at home.

The tight labor market has also contributed to a shortage of fast food -- another low-wage, unpopular industry.

Companies are being hit by truck driver shortages

It's not just Amazon thinking about the truck driver shortage.

Trucking is how most goods in the US get to your grocery store, convenience store, and wherever you buy things. By revenue, 82% of goods in the U.S. are transported by truck.

As a result, many retailers either raised prices or had to delay shipments.

Manufacturers such as oil driller Halliburton, paint maker PPG Industries and paper maker International Paper have all reported bottlenecks in shipments, Oyder reported.

Coca-Cola, toymakers Hasbro, Procter & Gamble and Nestle also said their shipping rates were rising, The Wall Street Journal reported last month.

Many food manufacturers plan to pass the cost on to consumers. Owns Haagen-Dazs and BettyCrocker

Brands such as General Mills (General Mills) told reporters that they will increase the price of cereal products and snacks to compensate for rising shipping costs.

Hormel Foods, which owns Skippy, Muscle Milk and other food brands, also said it may need to raise prices, Reuters reported in February.

Tyson Foods, the largest U.S. meat company by revenue, will need to spend an additional $250 million this year, Chief Executive Tom Hayes said on a conference call in early May. Dollars are used for shipping, and the cost is passed on to the consumer.

"Product prices have to reflect true cost, because we can't subsidize freight increases," Hayes said.