Commentary: Losing qualified truck drivers

   Significant turnover rates are returning to large truckload companies, and the American Trucking Associations said it’s creating a tight market for qualified drivers.
   During the second quarter of this year, turnover at these carriers rose by two percentage points to 99 percent on an annualized basis, according to the ATA’s Trucking Activity Report.
   The rate during the second quarter was the highest since the 104 percent rate seen during the third quarter of 2012. For the first quarter of 2013, the turnover rate finished at 97 percent.
   Turnover at small truckload carriers is a little bit loose; ATA measured the rate at fleets with less than $30 million in yearly revenues at 82 percent, which is unchanged from the first quarter. The turnover stood at 76 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012.