America needs a lot more truck drivers.

There will be a shortage of nearly 50,000 truckers in the United States by the end of this year, according a new report by the American Trucking Association (ATA). That's up from a shortage of 30,000 drivers just two years ago, and 20,000 drivers a decade ago.

American businesses need truck drivers to move goods around. And not having enough of them affects daily deliveries of everything from essentials like food and gas to supermarkets and gas stations to online Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) orders to people's homes.

It's a job that cannot be shipped overseas and has the potential to drive the cost of goods higher and ultimately hurt the U.S. economy.

No wonder businesses are willing to pay up for it.

Trucker compensation has been going up 8% to 12% a year in recent years, according to Bob Costello, chief economist at the ATA. That's a lot higher than wages for the rest of Americans, which have barely budged recently.

The median annual wage for a trucker that works for a private fleet, such as a truck driver employed by Walmart, is $73,000, according to ATA.

The Labor Department pegs the median annual salary for all truck drivers at around $40,000.

But it isn't an easy job to fill.

There's 1.6 million truck drivers in America. Of those, about 750,000 are "for hire" truckers, meaning they work for a truck company that's hired by another company, such as a grocery chain, to deliver its product. These truckers are sometimes on the road for 10 days at a time before coming home, Costello says.

At a time when work-life balance issues such as paid leave and flexible schedules are gaining spotlight in the American economy, trucking companies are challenged to recruit and retain workers.

Add on an aging workforce and a lack of interest from young workers, and you've got a shortage.

Related: The $100,000 job: be an apprentice

The median age of truckers is 49, according to ATA. The median age for all American workers is about 42, according to Labor Department.

Costello admits that the industry is having the toughest time retaining young workers.

Trucking companies also have a tough time recruiting women, who have become a larger part of the workforce than in previous generations.

Women make up 47% of the total U.S. workforce, yet only 6% of all truck drivers are women, according data from the Labor Department and ATA.

Related: Do you have good work-life balance?

To qualify, truckers have to be 21, they must a commercial trucking license and pass a background check and drug test. Those requirements haven't changed in years, experts say.

However, what's changed is that there are fewer people willing to be on the road for days at a time and put in the long hours that the truck-driving lifestyle demands.

"They're having a very difficult time being able to recruit or retain [young] drivers," says Charlie Myers, vice president of Trucker Path, an app for the trucking industry.

One of my neighbor is a trucker... he has one of the nicest house and hottest wife. He also looks like a trucker. I am thinking of sending him a dozen of those deluth long tail Ts for Christmas. Tired of seeing his ass crack when I pass his house. Were it not for the house and the wife I would not walk in that direction....come to think of it, I like him also...funny and jovial as hell.

Keep on trucking

Trucking Industry Will Need 890,000 New Drivers in Next Decade
Wall Street Journal (10/06/15) Brian Baskin

Over the next decade, 890,000 drivers must be hired by the trucking industry to replace retirees and meet demand, according to the American Trucking Associations. The average age of drivers is 49, versus 42 in the overall workforce, which means retirements will be a challenge for the industry.

"If the trend stays on course, there will likely be severe supply chain disruptions resulting in significant shipping delays, higher inventory carrying costs, and perhaps shortages at stores," says the ATA report. In response, trucking companies have significantly increased pay since 2011, with the ATA noting that 50% of for-hire truckload carriers offered an average $1,500 in sign-on bonuses last year, helping to reduce turnover from almost 100% in 2012 to slightly more than 90% in 2014.

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When I first came to America, I worked with this real hot Latino girl named Mercedes. Her husband was a truck driver who owned his truck. The trouble was that because he was always away from home, he thought she used to mess around or that is what she claimed. She said that he used to spy on her. Situations like that make me fall into the trap of helping them with their loneliness.  

I got a girl named Mercedes too last name Benz, drives nice .

Banna, you like living on the edge nuh? The man suspicious and you talkin bout helpin out, hehehe

Bai, I tell you something about people in general, the more they watch, the less they see.   I pulled off the biggest stunt for many years with meh French ohman and sheh man didn't seem to have a clue. Although he was not watch-maning her.   It wouldn't seem so ridiculous if the man wasn't in the same house.   That was real crazy stuff.

I think the Ministers should apply for this job.  $21,000 USD increase over the new salary!!!!   But please don't tell Naga about this he would negotiate up the pay to $110,000 and be the richest truck driver on the planet.