According to the Q3 2011 Fleet Sentiment Report, conducted by CK Commercial Vehicle Research, 40% of responding fleets say they are already feeling the impact of the shortage of qualified drivers.
Another 25% indicate they believe the shortage of good drivers will affect their ability to grow in the future.

Of those reporting an immediate concern, three quarters need drivers to fill current vacant seats, 63% say it is limiting their ability to add capacity and 42% are changing the way they deploy their fleet such as targeting more regional and local freight opportunities instead of long haul loads.

"Freight demand is good among the majority of fleets that report to us, but some could definitely haul more if they could find good drivers," explains CKCVR founder, Chris Kemmer. "Even for those that have a full complement of drivers now there is concern that this scarce resource will likely impact their future growth potential."

Additionally, CKCVR's Q3 2011 Fleet Sentiment Buying Index, a measure of the number of fleets planning to place orders for power units and trailers in the next three months, rose to 104.3. The increase came exclusively from an added number of fleets planning trailer orders.

The FSR Buying Index Table can be accessed at www.ckcvr.com

CKCVR regularly polls a group of small, medium and large for-hire, private and government fleet operators about their equipment purchasing plans and overall fleet environment. The quarterly Fleet Sentiment survey includes questions about short and longer term equipment buying plans, preferred OEM, new specs, current fleet capacity vs. freight demand, equipment utilization rates including the percent of parked vehicles, 2010 emission engine choices, the impact of a driver shortage and a product discussion.

Complete survey results are reported in the Fleet Sentiment Report, a quarterly report of CK Commercial Vehicle Research. For more information about the Fleet Sentiment Report, visit www.ckcvr.com/FSR.html.