Pinnacle Packaging warns of truck driver shortage

LOMBARD - A national truck driver shortage will continue to impact local retailers and their customers, with no end in sight, the president of Pinnacle Packaging said.

The American Trucking Association estimated the driver shortage was at an all-time high at more than 80,000 drivers in 2021, Nicole DeJoris, president of the Lombard-based Pinnacle Packaging, said in a news release.

In a recent study, the trucking association said over the next decade, the industry will have to recruit nearly 1 million new drivers to replace retiring drivers and drivers that leave voluntarily or involuntarily, as well as additional drivers needed for industry growth.

"The shortage of truck drivers makes it difficult to move goods throughout the country at the pace we've been accustomed to. Look at the shelves in any store to see empty spaces where some of your favorite products used to be. This directly affects my ability to procure products my customers need in a reasonable time frame," DeJoris said.

DeJoris said she now recommends clients stock up on top-selling supplies, because the packaging company can no longer guaranteed they will be available and delivered in seven to 10 days, as it has in the past.