Staffing Solutions
The Top 5 Logistics Job Roles Companies Are Struggling to Fill in 2026
If you run a warehouse, manage a distribution center, or oversee a supply chain operation, you already know the struggle. Open roles are staying open longer. Experienced candidates are harder to find. And the workers who do show up aren’t always equipped with the skills you need to keep things moving. You’re not alone, and it may not be your hiring process that’s broken. The logistics labor market is under real, sustained pressure, and it’s reshaping how companies think about staffing.
According to industry insights from FedEx, “disruptions like volatile trade policies, extreme weather, and shorter customer delivery windows are pushing logistics teams to prioritize flexibility, resilience, and speed in their operations.” Experienced drivers and equipment operators are aging out of the workforce, and fewer young workers are stepping into skilled trades and transportation roles to replace them. The result is a widening gap between what operations need and what the labor market can deliver.
Here are five of the hardest logistics roles companies are struggling to fill, and practical strategies to secure reliable workers before staffing shortages disrupt your operation.
1. Forklift Operators
What They Do:
Forklift operators move materials throughout warehouses and distribution centers, loading and unloading trucks, staging inventory, and supporting efficient material flow. Their role is critical to maintaining safe, productive warehouse operations.
Why They’re Hard to Find:
These roles require OSHA-compliant certifications and a safety record that holds up under scrutiny. Certified and experienced forklift operators are in demand across industries simultaneously – manufacturing, construction, retail distribution, cold storage – which drives up competition for the same pool of qualified candidates.
How this Staffing Shortage Affects Business:
When companies try to fill these roles with undertrained workers out of desperation, the consequences can be serious: loading delays, product damage, and increased safety risks.
2. CDL Drivers (Class A or B)
What They Do:
CDL Drivers transport raw materials and finished goods between facilities, ensuring timely deliveries while complying with DOT regulations. They play a vital role in keeping supply chains running smoothly.
Why They're Hard to Find:
The average age of a commercial truck driver in the U.S. is 45 to 54 years old, and continues to climb. Earning a commercial driver's license requires time, money, and clearing federal regulatory requirements, which creates a real barrier to entry for younger workers.
Beyond the licensing hurdle, lifestyle concerns are a genuine deterrent. Long hours, time away from home, and unpredictable schedules make CDL roles a tough sell in a job market where gig work and warehouse associate positions offer more flexibility.
How this Staffing Shortage Affects Business:
For logistics operations, the effect is real: delayed inbound materials, missed outbound shipping windows, and frustrated customers wondering where their orders are.
3. Warehouse Associate
What They Do:
Warehouse associates handle order picking, packing, sorting, and general material handling to keep fulfillment operations on task. Their reliability directly impacts shipping accuracy and production timelines.
Why They're Hard to Find:
The physical demands of the job lead to high turnover along with competition from retail and gig jobs that advertise more flexible schedules.
How this Staffing Shortage Affects Business:
When warehouse associate headcount runs thin, the effects ripple quickly: shifts are understaffed, picking and packing slows down, quality control takes a hit, and the workers who do show up get burned out covering open roles. It’s a cycle that’s hard to break without a reliable staffing strategy behind you.
4. Inventory Control Specialists
What They Do:
Inventory control specialists manage cycle counts, track stock levels, and use warehouse management systems to maintain inventory accuracy. Their work prevents costly errors, stockouts, and fulfillment disruptions.
Why They're Hard to Find:
A good inventory control specialist needs to be both physically capable of working in a warehouse environment and technically proficient with inventory management systems, barcode scanning, and data entry. That combination of skills is harder to find than it sounds.
How this Staffing Shortage Affects Business:
Errors in inventory data lead to shipment discrepancies, inaccurate stock counts, delayed orders, and lost customer trust.
5. Logistics Supervisors and Shift Leads
What They Do:
Logistics supervisors oversee daily warehouse operations, coordinate staff, and ensure productivity and safety standards are met. Strong frontline leadership helps maintain efficiency and reduce turnover.
Why They’re Hard to Find:
The pipeline for experienced logistics supervisors is under strain. Qualified candidates with floor experience and leadership skills are in short supply. On the other hand, burnout among existing supervisors is a real thing and driving turnover at the management level.
How this Staffing Shortage Affects Business:
When this role is unfilled or filled poorly, inefficiency spreads and morale drops fast. It’s a problem that continues to persist if it isn't addressed proactively.
What Logistics Companies Are Doing Differently
The companies that are navigating these shortages most effectively aren't waiting for the labor market to fix itself. They’re changing how they think about workforce strategy.
Flexible workforce models are gaining traction. Rather than relying exclusively on full-time hires, more operations are blending core full-time staff with flexible temporary workers. This approach makes it easier to scale up during peak demand without overextending existing staff or scrambling for last-minute hires.
Skills-based hiring is replacing credential-focused screening. Instead of filtering out candidates who lack formal skills, forward-thinking employers are investing in on-site training and upskilling. This expands the available talent pool and creates a stronger long-term pipeline.
Localized recruiting partnerships are making a real difference. Branch-based staffing agencies understand the local labor markets. Faster response times, better worker retention, and more relevant candidate matching allow you to focus on managing operations rather than finding new employees.
Three Strategies to Keep Your Operations Moving
Build a reliable core and supplement flexibly. Maintain a strong full-time staff while using pre-vetted temporary workers to cover volume spikes, call-offs, and seasonal demand. This prevents managers from overextending their current employees.
Prioritize safety-conscious, pre-screened workers. In today’s tight labor market, not all candidates are equally prepared for the demands of a logistics job. Working with a staffing partner that provides pre-screened, safety-conscious workers helps minimize safety risks. To learn more about the value of proper vetting, explore our guide on pre-screening unskilled workers and how it strengthens workforce quality.
Treat your staffing relationship as a partnership, not a transaction. Choose a staffing partner who understands your production cycle, communicates proactively, and handles onboarding and paperwork efficiently.
How Labor Finders Can Help
Labor Finders has been placing workers in light industrial and logistics roles for over 50 years. That kind of experience matters.
Every worker we place is ready to contribute from day one. Whether you need forklift operators, warehouse associates, CDL drivers, or supervisors to cover peak season, a new contract, or fill an unexpected gap – we have the workforce solutions to match. Our team recruits locally and pre-sceens each employee so you can spend less time managing call-offs and paperwork, and more time keeping operations moving.
The labor challenges in logistics aren’t going away. But with the right staffing partner behind you, they don’t have to slow you down.