110,000 people. That’s more than half the population of Shreveport, Louisiana and it’s also the amount of commercial truck drivers that will be needed by 2014.

According to a recent American Trucking Associations report, the commercial trucking industry will be facing a shortage of 110,000 long-haul drivers by 2014 if current trends remain. Those trends include more truckers entering retirement and not enough professionally trained drivers taking their place.

Some believe the estimate is conservative and that the shortage may be even higher, especially as the economy continues to recover over the next several years and more manufactures increase their need for truck-based shipping.

“The driver market is the tightest it has been in 20 years,” Bill Graves, ATA President and CEO, said in a release about the report. “It’s a major limitation to the amount of freight that motor carriers can haul. It’s critical that we find ways to tap a new labor pool, increase wages and recruit new people into the industry that keeps our national economy moving.”

A shortage of drivers is taking place across all forms of commercial trucking, but it is highest among long-haul truckers, who make up 1.3 million of the nearly 3.5 million commercial truckers on America’s roads. Annual turnover rates of 121 percent for long-haul commercial truckers are also adding to the demand as untrained drivers find it harder to achieve long-term employment. In a report two years ago, the shortage was estimated to be at 20,000 drivers, meaning the demand for long-haul commercial drivers is expected to grow by 90,000 in just a few years.

The large demand for commercial truck drivers is one reason many people are considering this as a career. Trucking companies are desperate to hire but they are also looking for the best drivers possible in an effort to keep turnover rates low and insure that their cargo is being transported by the best drivers available. At the Diesel Driving Academy students are receiving hands-on training and experience that will lead to obtaining a CDL and becoming some of the best commercial truck drivers available. Students are prepared to drive both long- and short-haul routes and are given experience on a variety of different equipment.

However, in addition to the professional training provided by the Diesel Driving Academy, it’s the commitment to putting students in high-paying commercial trucking positions that also sets the school apart.

Trucking companies need more drivers, at least another 110,000 in the next few years, and students at the Diesel Driving Academy are in the best possible position to secure those positions. The data is clear, a career as a commercial truck driver is one of the fastest growing jobs and companies are looking for prospective drivers that have the best training and experience.