The year 2023 was marked by labor flexing its muscle, resulting in wage-gaining strikes by the Screen Actors Guild, the Writers Guild of America, and the United Auto Workers, to name a few. Unionization efforts also garnered headlines at iconic outlets like Starbucks and Amazon, which have aggressively fended off previous efforts.
Even with these wins, union membership in the United States is still down from its peak in 1950 when, according to the United States Department of Treasury, about 35% of all workers were in unions. The unionized share of the workforce has declined steadily since to 10% in 2022. Some professions, even during the peak period, have historically been out of reach of most unions. Trucking is one of those professions in which unions have had difficulty gaining a foothold.
But with some of labor's recent wins and a tight job market that has given workers more leverage, is trucking finally ripe for a wave of unionization?
[Related: Drivers at three 10 Roads Express terminals vote to unionize]
Most analysts say that trucking, especially over-the-road (OTR), has unique DNA and tricky logistical and cultural characteristics, making it a challenging terrain for unions. And these challenges are not expected to disappear for the foreseeable future.
One of the biggest impediments to unionization is the nature of the profession.
"Truckers are out on the road by themselves, so the ability to organize is limited," said Avery Vise, vice president of trucking at FTR. He said efforts to unionize OTR truckers simply aren't going to gain traction. "We will see successes here and there, but I would be surprised to see any of the large carriers unionized."
