in 2006, the u.s. trucking industry employed 1.8 million drivers of heavy trucks. a major problem for the long-haul trucking industry is that a large percentage of these drivers are aging, and are expected to retire. very few new hires are expected in the near future, resulting in a driver shortage. , within the long-haul sector, there is an estimated shortage of 20,000 drivers. that shortage was projected to increase to 111,000 by 2014, however the actual shortage of truck drivers in 2014 was around 38,000. the trucking industry (especially the long-haul sector) is also facing an image crisis due to the long working hours, long periods of time away from home, the dangerous nature of the work, and lower earnings than other labor (for example, 1% lower than construction in 2004).