Leah Shaver speaks as an independent industry analyst. Her views represent her own analysis of publicly available market data and are not the views or opinions of Amazon. All forward-looking statements about market conditions are her projections based on current data, not guarantees.
RelayCon is Amazon’s annual 2-day conference for carriers to identify Relay’s growth opportunities and explore its tools. This year we invited Leah Shaver, President and CEO of the National Transportation Institute. Backed by 30 years of workforce research, Shaver supports fleets across North America making data-driven decisions daily. She also talks to drivers every week on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Radio.
At RelayCon, Shaver addressed what makes growth through Relay possible: having the right people behind the wheel. Here’s are the real, take-home tips she shared to help smaller carriers recruit and retain drivers.
Key messages:
- “The drivers you already have are more valuable to your business today than at any point in the last five years.”
- “For small fleets, your size is your competitive advantage. Investing in the things that recruit and retain your drivers can be a differentiator.”
- “The market is turning in your favor—but that means your drivers have more options too. The carriers who invest in retention now are the ones who capture the upside.”
The trucking workforce reality
Here’s why Shaver says now is the ideal time for smaller carriers to invest in their drivers.
- Shifting driver pool: “For-hire driver count fell over 5% in 2025 and already over 1% in 2026. Private fleet driver count has grown 14%+ since 2019 while for-hire fell. That means drivers are moving to private/dedicated jobs.”
- Aging trucking workforce: “Interest among younger generations hasn’t taken hold. The average new entrant in trucking is nearly 40, and the average working driver is mid-50s. Most new drivers cycle out before their one-year mark.”
- Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse violations: “DACH sidelined 200,000+ drivers, and 75% haven’t started return-to-duty. So, the industry loses ~5,000 drivers month and they’re not coming back.”
- Revocations for non-domiciled CDL holders: “~200,000 drivers could lose privileges within two years through federal enforcement, up to 8,500 drivers a month. English Language Proficiency enforcement is removing about 1,500–2,000 drivers per month with no return-to-duty protocol.”
- Outside competition for drivers: ”Other industries competing for the same workers have raised pay 19-25% since 2020: construction, manufacturing, warehousing.”
- Competition with larger carriers: “They spend 85% of their driver investment on finding new people and 15% on keeping them. They have marketing budgets, recruiting teams, and fast hiring processes.”
“Critical driver supply constraints persist—from age and health factors, regulatory constraints, and a lack of focus on building a pipeline of the next generation of professional drivers. Your drivers are being recruited by other carriers else every single day. How can you make yourself stand out?”
How smaller carriers can attract drivers
Smaller carriers know their drivers, they’re accessible, and they can deliver a personal experience every week. Here’s what Shaver says wins the hire and keeps drivers past 120 days.
- Know your audience: “What a 55-year-old veteran needs to hear from you is different from what a 28-year-old new hire needs to hear. The veteran wants to know you’ll respect their experience. The new driver wants to know there’s a career path.”
- Your best recruiting tool is a driver who already works for you: “Make sure their job recommendation is honest. Feature real people, real experiences, not a polished version that falls apart on day one.”
- Make sure the promise matches the job: “Drivers who leave in year one earn 25% less. The job didn’t match the promise. As a smaller carrier, you can be honest about what the work looks like. That honesty is what keeps them past the first month.”
- Don’t rely on one source to find drivers: “Word of mouth, referrals, job boards, CDL schools, programs offered through the network you’re already in. Have more than one door open. If you’re building capacity before peak, use what’s available rather than going it alone.”
“As a smaller carrier, your advantage is that you’re the person they talk to. Not a recruiter, not an 800 number—you. Know who you are, what your operation offers, and what makes driving for you different. If you can’t say it clearly, neither can the driver you’re trying to attract.”
Shaver’s tips for driver retention past 120 days
Here’s the retention investment Shaver says pays back when the freight shows up.
- Check in weekly. “Most drivers decide in their first 120 days whether they’re staying. If your new driver’s only communication from you is load assignments, they’re already looking elsewhere.”
- External recruiting pressure never stops. “Digital ads, sign-on bonuses, social media, referral incentives from other carriers. Every day your driver is being told there’s something better out there. Your job is to make staying a better option than leaving.”
- Communication isn’t a newsletter. It’s a phone call. “As a smaller carrier, communication is a text on Friday saying, ‘good week.’ Showing up for them when something goes wrong at a site. Recognizing a milestone. Asking what’s working, what isn’t, and listening.”
- Give drivers a reason to believe next month is better than this one. “That could be a new load type. A new lane. A more predictable schedule during peak. Does the person behind your wheel know what’s ahead for them? Or are they just seeing the next load on their screen? They don’t want to wonder.”
- The industry is moving toward more technology. “Cameras, navigation, safety systems, automated check-in. It’s not going away. But as a smaller carrier, you introduce it in person. You explain what it does and what it doesn’t. Drivers who understand the tool adopt it. Drivers who feel monitored resist it or leave.”
- These tips apply to owner-operators, too. “When you’re the driver AND the business owner, invest in your own environment and adopt tools that make your day easier. That’s how you sustain this for another 5, 10, 15 years.”
Show drivers what’s ahead
Keeping your best drivers is how you keep your business thriving. Here’s how Shaver says you should get ready for what you need.
- Communicate the opportunity: Shaver believes that “the cycle is turning. Exiting capacity coupled with growing demand means more freight available to fewer carriers. Every commitment you’re considering—a new lane, a contract, more volume during peak—requires someone behind the wheel.”
- Use your head start: “The carriers who invested in their people before the last boom (2020-2022) didn’t scramble. They captured the upside while everyone else was posting job ads. For smaller carriers, the investment isn’t a budget or a program. It’s attention. Have one conversation this week with each driver about what’s ahead for them.”
- Plan for peak: “If you need to hire, start now. Every week closer to peak, the competition for available drivers gets more expensive. If you already have your people, this is your window to make sure they’re staying. One conversation about what their schedule looks like in Q4. That’s what keeps them in the seat when someone else calls in November.”
Join Relay for home-daily & over-the-road opportunities
Whether you’ve got a fleet of drivers, one hired driver, or you’re out there running alongside your spouse, the drivers behind the wheel are what keep your business moving. Relay offers thousands of loads to get them on the road.
Start your Relay application on desktop or our app on iOS or Android to join Amazon’s freight network. But first, check out Relay’s carrier requirements to make sure hauling for Amazon is the right fit for your business.
Disclaimer: Amazon does not tender loads through any third-party load boards. Any Amazon loads posted on third-party load boards will only be tendered directly to approved and onboarded carriers via the Relay web portal or Relay mobile app. If you are interested in hauling loads for Amazon, sign up and book directly on relay.amazon.com. For more about our efforts against fraud and cargo theft, see our trustworthy transportation page.
