A Good Truck Driver is hard to find, many trucking firms complain.

Carloina Freight has driver-supply troubles in Florida, the Northeast and the Midwest; young job seekers aren't eager to drive rigs. Viking Freight Systems, Santa Clara, Calif., reports a "severe" pinch; it needs s60 drivers. Consolidated Freightways runs into shortages in Los Angeles, M.S. Carriers, Memphis, has many candidates but few meet today's stiff criteria.

Airborne Freight, Bridge Terminal Transport and Asbury M L, all in Michigan, say that drivers are in ample supply. But others say new drug tests, states closer dirver-record scrutiny and stricter licensing rules, make qualified drivers harder to come by. Viking predicts a wave of driver washouts when new federal drug test rules take effect.