**“No Freight, No Drivers: Missouri’s Trucking Industry Is Dryin’ Up

by TRUCKERS VA
(UNITED STATES)

🪓 Introduction: Trouble in the Show-Me State

Missouri ain’t just dealing with potholes anymore. The **Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT)** and others are reporting that the state’s trucking industry is hitting a rough patch — and it’s got nothing to do with bad roads or ELDs this time.


It’s a double-whammy:

Freight demand is sliding, which cuts jobs and money.

Truckers are bailing out faster than new ones are coming in.

This combo is messing with everything from supply chains to CDL school enrollments. Let’s dig into what’s causing the chaos — and what the mainstream media forgets to mention.

🚚 Key Points: What’s Actually Happening?

Freight Volume’s in the Gutter –
The big boys — retail, auto, construction — just ain’t moving the same loads they were 12–18 months ago. Missouri’s freight volume has taken a dive, and when freight drops, so do driver paychecks.

Drivers Are Burned Out and Fed Up –
Some drivers that survived the pandemic hustle are now calling it quits. Between low rates, high fuel costs, and over-regulation, a lot of them say, “Forget it — I’m out.”

CDL Schools Can’t Fill Seats –
MoDOT reports a drop in new CDL applicants. Young folks don’t see trucking as attractive, and older folks are retiring or leaving for other jobs — some even in fast food or warehouse gigs that pay better without the lifestyle sacrifice.

Companies Can’t Hire or Retain –
Fleets are caught in a weird spot: they need drivers on standby in case freight picks back up, but they can’t offer decent pay to keep ‘em when rates are this low.

🧠 Multiple Perspectives: What the News Doesn’t Say

Owner-Operators –
“I’m sittin’ on a new trailer payment and fuel costs that don’t make sense anymore. I’m parking the truck and going back to local gigs for now.”

CDL Instructors –
“We used to have a waitlist. Now we’re calling around to fill classes. The younger generation just ain’t into it — they want laptops, not logbooks.”

Fleet Recruiters –
“We can’t pay what we used to, and drivers know it. They’ve been burned before and they’re skeptical. Some just ghost us mid-onboarding.”

Industry Veterans –
“This ain’t the first downturn, but it feels different. A lot of folks ain’t planning to ride it out this time.”

💡 Industry Response: Who’s Adapting and Who’s Just Complaining?

A few forward-thinking companies in Missouri are trying to turn the tide by:

Offering flexible, part-time driving roles

Letting retired drivers return as mentors or trainers

Investing in freight matching tech to keep wheels moving

Partnering with community colleges to rebuild interest in CDL programs

But let’s be real — most others are just slashing rates and praying for Q1 to bring freight back. That ain’t a strategy. That’s a stall.

🔚 Bottom Line: The Clock Is Ticking

Missouri’s trucking labor problem isn’t just about not having drivers — it’s about the **value of trucking being watered down** over time. If freight doesn’t rebound, if pay doesn’t improve, and if the lifestyle doesn’t modernize, more states are gonna end up in the same ditch.

This ain’t just about Missouri. It’s about where the whole industry is headed if things don’t change fast.

💥 Call to Action

Don’t sit around waiting for the industry to “fix itself.” It won’t.

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👉 For honest trucker talk and survival tips, visit LifeAsATrucker.com

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