New truck sales are expected to explode by more than 50 percent in 2011. The question is whether this will translate into more jobs for truckers? Let’s take a look.

The trucking industry is like one of those bags boxers work out on. It just takes a licking, but keeps on hanging in there. The Great Recession did a number on the industry like nothing we’ve every seen. The industry damn near collapsed. It was a very close thing. Throw in other problems like high fuel prices, new efficiency regulations and so on, and it is a miracle things haven’t turned into a complete nightmare.

Then a funny thing happened in 2010. The industry turned around. Fuel prices fell. Tonnage went through the roof. The need for drivers went up dramatically and, given the nightmare in the rest of the economy, things were pretty good when everything was taken into account. Then the government got involved, which is a bad thing for trucking companies but perhaps a good thing for drivers.

The freight trucking fleet is old. I probably don’t have to tell you this. The government, however, is changing this. New regulations have forced manufacturers to greatly increase efficiency in their trucks and forced trucking companies to upgrade when replacing old trucks. There are even more required upgrades on the way. 

Regardless, this all means that the forecast for 2011 is a boatload of new trucks being added to fleets. The question is whether this will require the addition of more drivers. I think more drivers will be added to fleets, but not for this reason. 2011 will be a year of increased work as the overall economy continues to recover and more goods are shipped. The new trucks will allow this to be done more efficiently from a fuel perspective, but that alone will not increase the number of jobs available as far as I am concerned.

All and all, 2011 stands to be a strong year for the trucking industry. The recovering economy should mean more business and that’s a good thing for all of us.