Weekly Fiscal Facts are provided to Wisconsin NewsMedia Association members by the Wisconsin Policy Forum, the state’s leading resource for nonpartisan state and local government research and civic education. The Wisconsin Policy Forum logo can be downloaded here.
The number of people licensed to drive heavy trucks in Wisconsin dropped 8.9% from 2010 to 2025.
About 70% of the goods (by weight) moving through Wisconsin do so on highways. And amid the rise of large fulfillment centers, more goods are being shipped on our state’s highways. Such shipments grew by 33% from 2019-2023; a further 50% nationwide increase is projected by 2050.
But as our reliance on heavy trucks has grown, the number of people licensed to drive them has dwindled by more than 20,000 drivers over the last 15 years, a recent Wisconsin Policy Forum report found.
Those truck drivers remaining are older than the general driving population. In 2025, 58.7% of drivers who hold a Commercial Driver License (CDL) were at least 50, and nearly 25% were between 60 and 69.
Thus far at least, younger drivers are not filling these openings: less than a quarter of licensed heavy truck drivers are under 40 years old. This means that driver shortages could affect the reliability and cost of shipping, putting upward pressure on prices.
The statewide drop in licenses from 2010 to 2025 was reflected in declines across most of the state’s 72 counties, led by 15% drops in Winnebago and Dane counties. Just seventeen counties saw an increase in CDLs during this period.
A 2022 Wisconsin Department of Transportation white paper identified some factors that may be behind the shrinking numbers of drivers, including retirements and a loss of licenses due to poor driving records, drug tests, or other rule-based disqualifications. A relative drop in pay over time, difficult working conditions, and long hours also contributed.
State leaders have taken steps to increase access to training driver programs. In 2024, the Wisconsin Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers created a grant program to support residents seeking their first CDL. These grants are sent to driver training schools or employer-sponsored programs and cover up to half the cost of the training. There are also federal programs that provide funding for driver training.
So far however, state and federal initiatives have not yet made a big impact on driver numbers. It may be worth considering if there are additional barriers worth addressing. From the perspective of state policymakers, continued or increased investment in other types of transportation that can move freight, such as rail, may also help alleviate the driver shortage.
Some have suggested that autonomous vehicles will help fill the gap left by aging heavy truck drivers. In the long term, self-driving vehicles may eventually lead to a reduced need for skilled drivers behind the wheel. But the timeline for such advances remains unclear — and may not come fast enough to address short-term acute shortages.
This information is a service of the Wisconsin Policy Forum, the state’s leading resource for nonpartisan state and local government research and civic education. Learn more at wispolicyforum.org.
