The agriculture industry faces a significant shortage of skilled commercial driver's license holders, not just drivers in general, which is affecting supply chain efficiency, increasing costs, and creating service delays across the country. Kansas is addressing this by proposing a pipeline approach through state institutions to develop more qualified CDL drivers with specialized skills in loading, securing equipment, permitting, and route planning.
- Agriculture faces a nationwide shortage of skilled CDL drivers, not just a general shortage of truckers with commercial licenses
- The shortage directly impacts customer service timelines, freight costs, and supply chain efficiency across the industry
- Qualified CDL drivers need specialized skills beyond licensing, including loading equipment, securing cargo, permitting knowledge, and rural route planning
- Kansas is implementing a pipeline approach through state institutions to develop more skilled drivers for agriculture
- Industry leaders emphasize this is a national issue affecting agriculture's ability to move freight and maintain operational efficiency
A continuing challenge for the agriculture industry is not only a lack of truckers with a commercial driver's license (CDL), but also a lack of highly skilled CDL drivers.
The annual Kansas Ag Summit took on a transportation theme for its 2026 edition, held Aug. 20 in Manhattan, Kansas, and the driver shortage was a key topic during one panel discussion.
Steve Hart, president of the National Beef-affiliated National Carriers, said the driver shortage is partially cyclical but is "definitely worse than we've ever seen in the industry for moving freight."
He added that it isn't just a regional issue, and that nationally, there are thousands fewer drivers than needed.
"It affects us in many ways. It affects the ability to service our customers' needs on time. It drives costs up. It creates other supply chain functioning issues, which spills over time into increased assets that you have to create to (move) material for the supply chain," Hart said.
There is an effort to improve the situation in Kansas, he said, as a proposal calls for creating a pipeline approach for more drivers through different institutions in the state.
Another panelist, Heather Jantz, chief operating officer of MJE Livestock Equipment and president of the Kansas Contractors Association, said she agreed with Hart, adding that the issue isn't just a shortage of CDL drivers, but a shortage of CDL drivers with additional skills valuable to the agriculture supply chain.
"The CDL is just the starting point," she said. "What we really need are qualified CDL drivers, who may need to understand loading equipment, securing equipment, permitting, route planning, how to access rural projects."
"KDOT (the Kansas Department of Transportation) is committed to providing safe roads and bridges, and we want to commit to having safe drivers on those roads and bridges."
