Overseas comparisons: what global trucking costs and workforce pressures can tell us

I’m mindful of the risks of making comparisons with other countries, and often things cannot be compared directly, but provided we acknowledge those constraints and limitations then comparisons can be interesting.

Last month the American Transportation Research Institute released its Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking: 2026 Update. It includes a table of the average marginal costs per mile over the period 2016-2025 for motor carrier costs.

As mentioned above the elements are not directly comparable to the Grant Thornton Transport Cost Index which is the most commonly used index here. For example, it does not include overheads and salaries, and it has other costs such as tolls and permits. Also, the US fuel price includes tax whereas here we have RUC.

That said, if we appreciate those differences I’ve made the following comparisons in the table below. In my view, there is no right or wrong, they are what they are.

The total marginal costs per mile for 2025 was US$2.33 or NZ$3.94/mile which equates to about NZ$2.45/km.

Other interesting figures come from the Trucking Association Executives Council (TAEC) in the US in its report released last month titled Trucking Resurgence: The Fight for Fairness and Safety Progress Report. Some of the 12 month progress numbers include:

• 10,000 Commercial Driver Licensing (CDL) schools removed
• 550 CDL schools shut down
• 194,000 non-domiciled CDL drivers no longer qualify under new rules
• 76 non-compliant electronic logging device platforms removed from the approved registry  
• 426 electronic logging device platforms blocked from entering the market

Meanwhile the International Road Union reported on the ageing workforce and barriers to it in Argentina. I think comparing those challenges and the view of FADEEAC (Argentine Federation of Freight Transport Business Entities) on the remedies is useful.

Argentina’s driver workforce is ageing. For a typical family-owned transport company with fewer than 30 trucks, more than 40% of its drivers may be over 55.

At the same time, young people face several barriers to entering the profession. The minimum age of 21 creates a gap between when young people leave secondary school and when they can drive professionally. For example, only 3–4% of drivers who have completed the courses required by one of the shippers in the oil and gas industry are under 25, while 9% are over 55.

Young applicants also struggle to gain experience, particularly in sectors where companies prefer not to hire drivers under 25. This creates a vicious circle: without experience, there is no job; without a job, there is no opportunity to gain experience.

Sector-specific professional training is viewed as one of the most effective responses to the shortage. The central challenge is therefore not simply to attract more drivers; it is to prepare more drivers for the sectors where demand is growing fastest.

Looking ahead, FADEEAC, believes Argentina needs more consistent national training standards, stronger practical skills validation, and wider access to qualified training centres and simulators.

Regulatory simplification may help more people enter the profession. But without sufficient training capacity, it will not close the skills gap.