Australian industry that offers $150,000 jobs faces looming staffing crisis

A key Australian industry which gives workers the chance to earn $150,000 a year is facing a looming staffing crisis.

More than 43,000 Australian truck drivers are expected to retire from the sector by 2030, which is about a quarter of the current workforce, according to a new report from the International Road Transport Union.

Meanwhile, Australia’s freight needs are tipped to rise by 57 per cent over the next 24 years, increasing the demand for local drivers.

Businesses also face rising costs for fuel, labour and compliance as they also juggle recruiting, training and retaining the next generation of drivers.

“If transport businesses can’t afford to invest in people, the driver shortage becomes even harder to solve,” NatRoad chief executive Warren Clark said.

The average age of a truck driver in Australia is now 51.

Almost 45 per cent of drivers are aged over 55, while just 6 per cent are under 25.

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The report also revealed the truck driver shortage increased from 10 per cent in 2024 to 12 per cent in 2025. 

One solution to the staffing problem is truck driving apprenticeships, which are being embraced by businesses.

“We’re hearing more and more fleets are growing the apprenticeship model,” Queensland Trucking Association chief executive Gary Mahon told Nine.com.au.

Workers can start the two-year program from the age of 17.

Mahon said apprenticeships allowed drivers to formalise their valuable experience.

“The expression we’d use is ‘qualifying’ the industry,” he said.

Mahon said the industry would continue to do its best to develop people and help them have a prosperous career.

“I think a lot of people underestimate how well drivers can be paid,” he said.

“That’s a surprise to many.”

Mahon said it was not unusual for a multi-combination driver working on a B-double and doing regular runs to earn about $150,000 a year.

He said some roles also offered consistent schedules where truck drivers could balance work with family life.

Beyond an ageing workforce and growing demand for freight services, Mahon said there were other issues impacting the trucking industry in Queensland.

Companies in the state often lose drivers to high-paying roles in the mining sector.

However, workers tend to return to transport industry due to the fly-in, fly-out nature of the mining work.

“We do attract people from other industries to us and no doubt we’ll lose some to others,” Mahon said.

Another major issue is drivers being fined “massive amounts of money” for what the Queensland Trucking Association argues are “minor infractions” with logbooks.

“Probably the biggest deterrent of all is the fines,” Mahon said.

“The industry has advocated for a long time that the fine mechanism is disproportionate.”

Mahon said without a sufficient workforce, freight could become slower.

“Where you might be servicing a township three times a week, you might have to reduce it to two or one,” he said.