US trucking provides competitive pay and benefits, ATA study shows

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ARLINGTON, Va. — The American Trucking Associations (ATA) released results from a new survey showing professional truck driver pay is on par with the national median for all US households, offering “competitive” pay and benefits.

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“The data in our Driver Compensation Study, which covered 130 fleets and more than 130,000 drivers, shows that now more than ever, trucking is an excellent career path,” said ATA chief economist Bob Costello. “Fleets are raising pay and offering generous benefit packages in order to attract and keep their drivers in the face of a growing driver shortage.”

The study found drivers’ median pay ranged from just over $46,000 for national, irregular route dry van truckload drivers to more than $73,000 for private fleet van drivers.

In seven of nine categories covered by the survey, pay met or exceeded US median household income of just over $53,000.

The survey also found three out of four fleets used multiple methods to compensate drivers. Nearly 80% of truckload fleets offered paid holidays and 80% of private carriers offered 401(k) retirement plans and matched employee contributions.

“As the economy grows, we are seeing an ever more competitive driver market,” Costello said. “The data in this report will be critical for fleets looking to recruit and retain the best drivers.”

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  • “trucking is an excellent career path,” really? what is the value of missing all the important events in your life; like your kids and wife’s birthdays, graduations, every year celebrating your own Birthday alone, missing close friends and family weddings, funerals and above all your health. Economist Bob Costello should drive a truck for a year before he is able to make a statement like that, the industry just doesn’t get it what’s being a driver. He should take a survey of how many parents that are in the industry actually encourage their kids to choose this so called career.

  • Just more propaganda from trucking associations. Factor in all the time you actually work and it works out to around minimum wage. Going to need a bigger shovel for all the bs the associations and groups such as the Blue Ribbon Task Force are dishing out.

  • Hahahahahahahahaha, thats hilarious. I can tell you that truck driving is a life destroying, soul-sucking, wretched occupation that makes any sane person very quickly evaluate the “value” of such a job. Of course the industry is getting desperate, they have to get bags of skin that are able to turn a wheel into those cells on wheels so the owners can continue churning an income. Trucking is a horrible racket. Even at $100,000 annual salary, its still not enough. Remember boys and girls, the recruiter will lie to you in a myriad number of ways, don’t fall for it, run don’t walk from that bent racket!

  • wow, a quick read of those responses and you really get a feel for the attitudes that trucking has created. I agree with a lot of it, although not all. Sadly, a heavy % is quite true and those feelings jotted down by those above mirror countless thousands of drivers running down the highway . Its a shame the people that matter will never read these, and joe public could care less so don’t get involved in the downfall of a massive and extremely important industry that touches virtually everybodys lives in one way or another. Even more sad that a job as vital and important to a country and its well being can’t generate a little more pride in those that actually do this for living and make it all happen. Media is as much the enemy as anyone these days as headlines continue to skew opinions of a society made up mainly of sheep. They see a headline like that and believe it all as no one has the time or even cares enough to look beyond the bold print and see if they are being fed a load of BS. Such a pathetic statement when a once extremely proud and massive group of workers were once held in such high esteem and respected by the public (1970s, into early 80s) . Anyone care to help figure out exactly when this occupation flew off the rails and what were the causes?

  • A good deal of this started 10 years ago when companies like wal-mart and the grocery industry had to keep up with the demands of the generation noyone wants to wait for anything any more, fierce competition among the human race driven by corporate greed, When you enter the trucking industry especially long haul you say goodbye to any normal lifestyle, you will not be home for Birthdays,anniversaries, funerals, or any important occasions, if you become ill and cannot perform for the company you are thought of as a lesser person, and no good to them, if a close family member dies while you are on the road they will not bring you home, you must get loaded first, bottom line they own you, Dispatchers and planners go home at night to their families only to look the next day at loads not the drivers. one thing for sure you will be home for your own funeral they need that truck moving.

  • a word on recruiters especially here in the Maritime s, They represent their own interests working on commissions and probably residuals they get from companies for hiring the driver,s they find many of them offer their own com check cards to drivers and tell them spend what you want I get back from your pay at 5% or more interest, do the math say they recruit 10 driver,s at .37cents per mile the companies are paying them .40cents multiply that by the number of miles driven by each driver every month, no wonder you can show up at truck stops in an Escalade.