Is there more info on average weekly driver pay?

In the Jan/Feb issue of Motortruck, there was an interesting article called “Pay by the Hour; has its time come?” On page 25 there is a graph that shows the Average Weekly Driver Earnings by Province. Are these figures based on a 40-, 50- or 60-hour week? This information would be helpful to determine where we at SLH Transport stand against the national average.If these details are available, please let me know.

Thanks for your help and keep up the good work with the magazine.

Sylvain
SLH Transport

The graph that you refer to “Average Weekly Earnings by Province” provides a total weekly average for driver pay in each province. In other words, 40-, 50- and 60-hour weeks are lumped together and an average pay is calculated for each province. The effect of hours worked on weekly pay is reflected in the graph, also on page 25, entitled “Average Weekly Earnings by Hours Worked Per Week.” That kind of break down is also available on a province by province basis by contacting Marc Levesque at Statistics Canada. Tel: 613-951-2793. E-mail: levemar@statcan.ca. As further reference, the Average Weekly Earnings by Province data was gathered from Figure 5.1.6, p. 88, of Statistics Canada’s Trucking in Canada, 1998 publication, published earlier this year. The Average Weekly Earnings by Hours Worked Per Week data was gathered from Figure 5.1.4 on p. 86 of the same publication.

— Editor

What’s so new about guaranteed cost per mile?

I just finished reading your latest issue of Motortruck magazine. I noticed on page 9 there was a short article that said “Volvo truck guarantees cost per mile”.

Would this not be what true full-service lessors such as Idealease have been doing for years on end? As a matter of fact that part of the industry is going on 60 years old. It does not sound to me like their program is altogether there. Would it guarantee tire costs and substitute vehicles? I doubt it. To get the real benefit of a cost per mile program that is all-inclusive, you must approach a tried and true full service lessor.

Jeff Kirby
President-Altruck Idealease