The Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association says a number of factors has come together to create added pressure on the trucking industry to meet current freight demands within the supply chain.

The APTA says those pressures include a driver shortage, new hours of service requirements, parts shortages and limited access to new equipment.

The Association says the driver shortage is getting worse, with fleets reporting up to 10 per cent of their trucks having to remain parked. There are currently 20,000 vacant truck driver positions this according to Trucking HR Canada and the Canadian Trucking Alliance and the number of vacancies could rise to as high as 30 to 40,000 by 2023.

The APTA says the industry requires more training funds to make it financially viable for young people to enter the industry to help close the gaps.