I agree, there isn't any driver shortage at all. Only a shortage of companies willing to offer a good compensation package to warrant someone spending 40 years of stressfull (driving), back breaking (humping freight or fixing equipment) work only to end up with bad knees and a bad back for no retirement. Yes, retirement ultimately lies on you, but with mediocre wages and crap company match, you have to live an "existence only" lifestyle to provide for a "comfortable" retirement.
Many moons ago, one could earn a good middle class income, have excellent health benefits for your family and a pension to make your retirement comfortable. Now, mediocre wages, crap health care that we have to pay a portion of, and retirement is non-existent has become the norm, all the while upper management gets fatter and fatter while using the workforce as their bank.
In the last five years I have told many young bucks who asked if they were hiring where I work that "trucking has become a $h!t sandwhich", "go get a good job, where you won't abuse your body for 40 years for lousy compensation". FDNM