Alberta’s trucking and logistics industry sheds 8,600 jobs but truck driver employment remains strong
Ottawa, ON (February 10, 2026) — According to the latest data from Trucking HR Canada (THRC), there are currently fewer job openings in the trucking and logistics industry in Alberta than there were a year ago.
While demand for workers appeared to be slightly stronger in Alberta compared to national numbers in Q3, Q4 employment data showed a sharp contraction in the province’s trucking workforce. Employment in Alberta’s trucking and logistics industry dropped 8% year over year, compared to a more modest 1.2% drop nationally.
“These job losses are significant for Alberta’s trucking and logistics industry,” says Craig Faucette, Chief Operating Officer, THRC. “On a more positive note, employment of truck drivers remains more stable compared to a year ago. The overall labour market picture for trucking and logistics in Alberta is mixed, but the resilience of the province’s driving workforce is reassuring.”
In both provincial and national pictures, employers seem to be exercising caution in hiring, possibly due to persistent uncertainty in the broader economy.
Another notable trend is the increase in people looking for work. An additional 4,000 job seekers flooded Alberta’s trucking and logistics labour market with the unemployment rate surging from 4.3% Q4 2024 to 8.2% in Q4 2025. This flow of job seekers saw the unemployment rate in the sector jump from 4.3% in the last quarter of 2024 to 8.2% in the final quarter of 2025. At the national level, the number of active job seekers in the sector decreased by 3.9% from Q4 2024 to Q4 2025.
Transport truck drivers actively seeking work in Alberta almost doubled in number in Q4 2025, up 1,400 to 2,900. As a result, the unemployment rate among Alberta drivers increased from 2.9% in the last quarter of 2024 to 5.4% in Q4 2025. Across Canada, the unemployment rate for transport truck drivers was up to 4.7% in Q4 2025, compared to 3.9% in the last quarter of 2024, with the number of active job seekers increasing by 17% year-over-year.
More details:
- Job openings for transport truck drivers in Alberta increased by 225 positions in Q3 2025, up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Alberta employers were seeking to fill 2,810 vacant driver jobs between July and September of 2025.
- Truck driver employment remained more stable, with 50,400 truck drivers employed in the province in Q4 2025, compared to 49,600 in Q4 2024. The drop was more pronounced in the national picture, with Q3 job openings down 17.5% year over year.
- The province employed an additional 800 transport truck drivers in Q4 2025, an increase of 1.6 % compared to the final quarter of 2024. Nationally, employment of transport truck drivers in Q4 2025 was down 4.3% year-over-year.
- Fourth quarter employment in Alberta’s trucking and logistics sector was 98,800 workers in 2025, down from 107,400 workers the previous year. Across Canada, trucking and logistics sector employment declined by just 1.2% from Q4 2024 to Q4 2025
Produced in partnership with
This project is partly funded by the Province of Albert
Trucking HR Canada is the recognized national authority on workforce strategy for the trucking and logistics sector. We’re a non-profit centre of excellence, engaging with employers, governments, think tanks, industry groups, and stakeholders.
Media contact: comms@truckinghr.com
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