Declared Dead, Still Driving: The Persistence of Truck Driver Demand

TWIG
2 April 2026

Predictions of the demise of truck drivers in multiple research papers/forecasts from the last decade; appear, for now, to have been premature. While the occupation was flagged as highly susceptible to automation, demand has continued to rise, driven by e-commerce growth, supply chain complexity, and high rates of attrition. In practice, technology has not replaced driveres so much as it has joined them in the cab: optimizing routes, monitoring performance, and improving safety. The result is less a story of disappearance and more one of adaptation, where the job persists but with a digital co-pilot riding shotgun.

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TWIG

Toronto Workforce Innovation Group is a non-profit and independent research organization devoted to finding and promoting solutions to employment-related problems in the Toronto Region.

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