There’s work to be done in the trucking industry if you’re in the market for a job.

“Despite the weak economy and a national unemployment rate hovering just under 10 percent, trucking companies report a shortage of long-haul drivers -- a problem federal labor officials and trucking officials say will grow worse over the next 10 years,” according to a recent ABC News report.

Some analysts are worried that if the jobs go unfilled, trucking companies will need to entice potential applicants with higher wages, costs that ultimately will be passed along to the consumer.

The issue of weight allowances will also likely rear its head again as a side effect to the driver shortage. With fewer trucks on the road, more cargo will need to loaded onto those trucks that are available. “That could mean that laws regulating the weight trucks can carry on roads would have to be changed to allow heavier loads. For the taxpayer, that could translate into more tax dollars being spent to maintain highways,” says ABCNews.com.

What do you think of the potential driver shortage? Is this a real phenomenon happening out there in the industry, or is this much ado about nothing?