Fleets are ramping up their recruitment efforts in anticipation of a recovery in freight, according to MTS Driver Recruiters, which said it has seen increased activity among its customers
. MTS Driver Recruiters provide recruitment process outsourcing to the transportation and logistics industry.

The company said it's experiencing a boost in demand for its recruiting services, and it expects the demand to grow as freight tonnage increases in 2010.

According to the company, many industry experts are predicting that the driver shortage will return with greater ferocity, as many drivers who have been unable to find work have abandoned the trade for other occupations.

"Even with current lower levels of business and reduced demand for drivers, fleet operators have been realizing that they must deal with leaner times by identifying recruiting methods that are far more effective then those relied on during the past driver shortage," said Ken Walker, principal. "As freight tonnage goes back up, it will take much longer for the number of available drivers to rise and get to the point where we reach the previous 'shortage' levels of the past."

"Fleet operators have a large pool of experienced drivers to tap into right now, but it appears that a return to the days of driver shortages and retention problems are not far off," Walker said.

American Trucking Associations (ATA) demographic studies have shown that key age groups for drivers are shrinking, causing the potential for shortages that will increase the time and cost of finding drivers.