Brazil Struggles With Truck Driver Shortage: Fleet Grows, But Young People Abandon the Profession

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 28/09/2025 at 16:43

Updated on 28/09/2025 at 16:44

Escassez de caminhoneiros preocupa o Brasil: frota cresce, mas reposição falha. Envelhecimento ameaça logística que transporta 62% de toda a produção nacional

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Brazil Loses 1.1 Million Truck Drivers in a Decade; Young People Avoid Roads, While Professionals Over 60 Are Now Majority

Road freight transport in Brazil is facing a silent crisis, but with profound effects. In ten years, the number of truck drivers fell from 5.5 million to 4.4 million, a reduction of 20% — or 1.1 million professionals.

The difficulty in attracting young people to the profession contrasts with the rapid aging of the category and puts at risk the foundation of the logistics system that drives the national economy.

Data That Expose The Gravity Of The Problem

A survey by the Institute of Logistics and Supply Chain (ILOS) shows that in 2024, only 4.11% of drivers were under 30 years old, while 11.05% were already over 70.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Autonomous Hiring In Check

Another point of pressure is in the predominant hiring model. Most drivers operate as independents, taking on both the provision of services and the costs of acquiring and maintaining the truck. This model, which was once the backbone of the category, now faces limitations due to the financial difficulties of those entering the profession and the new demands of the market.

Companies are beginning to invest in purchasing vehicles and offering formal contracts under CLT, especially in rural areas.

This movement aims to ensure the continuity of operations in a scenario of workforce scarcity.

Truck Market In Expansion

Data from the vehicle sector helps to outline the challenge. In 2024, Brazil registered 120 thousand new trucks, representing a net growth of 65 thousand units.

The increase in the fleet contrasts with the fall in the number of available drivers, highlighting the need for new hiring and training strategies.

Stories That Reveal The Impact

A report from SBT showed the journey of Eduardo, exemplifying the exceptions in the sector.

At 41, he fulfilled a childhood dream by becoming a driver after starting as an assistant and participating in training.

Today, he makes trips to Minas Gerais and highlights the gratification of achieving this goal. But cases like his are rare given the decline of 1.2 million drivers in recent decades.

To address the labor shortage, some transport and logistics companies have created training courses for employees interested in moving to the truck driver’s seat.

The goal is to encourage new generations and show that the profession can still offer stability and family support.

Reasons For Young People Leaving

Despite these initiatives, participation remains low. Many young people prefer to pursue other paths, such as driving app-based cars.

Among the reasons cited are low pay, the risks of cargo theft, the poor conditions of the roads, and the personal impact of being away from family.

One driver summarizes the dilemma: “We drive, but we don’t know if we’ll come back home. I have a 5-year-old son, and I don’t know if I’ll see him.”

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Amber Valdez

#180973

28/09/2025 16:56

A concise guide with practical steps — very helpful indeed.

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Brazil Struggles With Truck Driver Shortage: Fleet Grows, But Young People Abandon the Profession

Brazil Loses 1.1 Million Truck Drivers in a Decade; Young People Avoid Roads, While Professionals Over 60 Are Now Majority

Data That Expose The Gravity Of The Problem

Autonomous Hiring In Check

Truck Market In Expansion

Stories That Reveal The Impact

Reasons For Young People Leaving

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Brazil Struggles With Truck Driver Shortage: Fleet Grows, But Young People Abandon the Profession

Brazil Loses 1.1 Million Truck Drivers in a Decade; Young People Avoid Roads, While Professionals Over 60 Are Now Majority

Data That Expose The Gravity Of The Problem

Autonomous Hiring In Check

Truck Market In Expansion

Stories That Reveal The Impact

Reasons For Young People Leaving

Seen from space, an image taken by an astronaut shows an unlikely oasis in the Saudi Arabian desert, protected by a terrain that slows the advance of sand, surrounded by green circles, remnants of an extinct lake and nearly 10,000 years of preserved history.

While the U.S. still faces limitations in deep space, China is developing unprecedented technology with strategic satellites that maintain communication with the far side of the Moon and aims for dominance by 2030.

In Botswana, a salt flat of up to 16,000 km² that was once an African megalake spends months as an absolute white desert, but during the rainy season it transforms into a shallow sea that reappears from nowhere and can be seen from space in the middle of southern Africa.

The Blood Falls of Antarctica hide a living ecosystem trapped under the ice for over 2 million years, where microbes survive without light, without oxygen, and without ever having seen the Sun.

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