What drives trucker compensation low?
TORONTO, Ont. – In his groundbreaking book Sweatshops on Wheels, published at the turn of the century, Michael H. Belzer argued that truck driver compensation was so low because the drivers performed a quarter of their work for free.
“They suffer the indignity of being forced to wait for hours to get loaded or unloaded while people whose time is more highly valued are taken care of first,” the Wayne State University economics professor wrote.
Twenty years on, the situation has gotten worse, Belzer told Today’s Trucking in an interview from Ann Arbor, Mich.
“Compensation has declined between one-third and one-half in the last 40 years,” he said, quickly adding that “it really won’t work to blame drivers or trucking companies”.
Who is responsible, then?
“The really responsible market players are the cargo owners, but they will say that they are just responding to pressure from other cargo owners. Everybody is trying to sell underwear for 25 cents less,” the former truck driver said.
He said shippers tend to have some market power. They control the relationship, can pressure carriers for unreasonably low prices, and force them to accept detention for which they will not pay.
Belzer said intense competition drives carrier and driver rates so low that fleets cannot hire the highest-quality drivers and create safety-centric incentives. These safety and health costs are not incorporated into prices, and become what economists call “externalities.”
“Here, the externalities are the driver safety and health problem, and the public safety problem. They are reflected in the labor market failure, which you see in the form of high turnover and the so-called driver shortage,” Belzer said.
Many people still go and become truck drivers anyway, because they don’t have many alternatives, Belzer said.
“And, fleets are unable to raise wages substantially because they are caught in a race to the bottom.”
Joanne Ritchie, executive director of the Owner-Operator’s Business Association of Canada (OBAC), said she has had “thousands of conversations’ with truck drivers about compensation over the years.
“I think driver pay is at the base of so many issues,” she said.
“Carriers and shippers have been complicit in this too. I mean, as long as they can get away with free labor, they’re going to take it,” Ritchie said.
Ross Reimer, president of supply chain recruiting firm Reimer Associates, agreed that drivers need to be paid more.
“Now, we’re also talking about a trucking industry that runs on tight margins. The rates that shippers pay need to go up in order to pay the drivers more money,” Reimer said.
“Carriers need to earn more margin, so that they can share that margin with the drivers.”
Reimer said better pay will also help attract more young people to the trucking industry.
Incentive for over-work
For North American truck drivers, there is no such thing as a 40-hour week.
Belzer cited a 1997-98 survey conducted by the University of Michigan, which concluded that employee drivers worked an average of 64.5 hours per week.
Another poll, conducted in 2010 by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), revealed that, on average, long-haul truck drivers worked 50% more hours than typical workers, he said.
“Unfortunately, truck driver earnings have been so low for decades that the average rate of pay would have to be 50% greater than it is now to create an incentive for truck drivers to reduce hours of work to 60 per week,” he said.
Ritchie said mileage rates have gone up lately, but that doesn’t help much because the drivers are still not paid for all the work they do.
“So, if you look at the number of hours that drivers actually work, or on duty, and compare that to what they are making, I would say that their actual income is probably below minimum wage.”
Ritchie believes the solution to the compensation problem is to pay drivers for everything they do.
Some employers are addressing the issue by initiating a hybrid pay structure that includes some sort of pay for wait times, said Craig Faucette, director of policy and programs at Trucking HR Canada.
“In our Top Fleet Employer program, we have seen a significant shift where most employers are offering a hybrid pay system for longhaul truck drivers where they offer hourly pay for wait times,” Faucette said.
“Also in our employer survey in 2019, we have seen a positive trend from employers to switch completely away from mileage pay and offer hourly pay for their longhaul drivers.”
It’s a safety issue
Belzer noted competitive pressure leads to a strong incentive for over-work, which in turn, causes driver fatigue and crashes.
Drowsy driving causes thousands of truck crashes in the U.S. each year. In 2013, the last year for which official figures are available, there were 800 fatalities and 44,000 injuries from 72,000 crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Another reason for the current situation is regulatory negligence, spawned by deregulation, the subject of Belzer’s book.
He said the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) continues to try to solve the problem by increasing hours of work.
“Like the FMCSA did in 2003-04, when they could not enforce the law, they moved the goal posts. That is, they could not enforce the 60-hour rule so they legalized an 84-hour work week,” he said.
And this year, Teamsters and safety advocates have taken the FMCSA to court, arguing that the latest hours-of-service (HoS) rule that went into effect at the end of September will actually lead to more driver fatigue.
“They (the regulators) cannot continue to ignore the research that in my view shows the truth of the adage that time is money. As they continue to relax the regulations on drivers’ hours of work, they contribute to the safety problem.”
Driver shortage
The shortage of drivers is a topic that has been beaten to death, but that hasn’t stopped organizations such as the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) from conducting more research on it.
ATRI said last week that the problem remains the most pressing issue affecting the trucking industry.
Most drivers don’t buy that argument. Neither does Belzer, who believes there is no driver shortage.
“From the standpoint of economics, broadly speaking, I would argue that it is not possible to have a shortage of truck drivers,” he said.
“There can be a shortage of physicists, there can be a shortage of engineers, there can be a shortage of computer scientists or programmers, but it is not that hard to become a truck driver. Training is not that hard. It is easy to get a licence.”
Ritchie said the trucking industry has been talking about the problem for nearly a century now.
She said the Western Truck Owner magazine ran a three-part series in 1928 on the issue.
“It talked about how we have to treat our drivers better because there’s a shortage.”
Ritchie said there are shortages of all kinds of workers in every industry, and that is a population problem.
“But specific to the trucking industry, the problem of driver shortage, using it the way that most people use it, there is a lot of truth to what drivers say that there isn’t (a shortage).”
There is a shortage of well-trained good drivers, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that it can it can be a very crummy job, Ritchie said.
Canada is expected to face a shortage of 25,000 truck drivers as early as 2023, according to Trucking HR.
In the U.S., the American Trucking Associations (ATA) estimates that the country will be short of more than 100,000 drivers by 2024 and 160,000 by 2028 if the conditions don’t change substantively,
Belzer, however, insists the “perception of driver shortage” is caused by poor pay.
He is certain that a better pay package and a proactive effort to make sure that drivers are paid for their non-driving labor will help attract more people to the industry.
Have your say
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There is a shortage of 25,000 “DECENT ” paying driving jobs.
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Right on Larry. I worked for Liquid Carbonic in the 80’s. Best paying driving job I ever had. Time and a half after 8 hours, double time after 10. No mileage rate, all hourly. Good luck finding a deal like that today.
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You articulated that very well Larry James Hall
There is no shortage of truck drivers that have a permit. In 2006 a study was done by the Fed gov in Canada that said O T R truck drivers should get 1.9 times minimum wage. The same study said local truck drivers should get 1.6 times ( on pay roll plus medical coverage) the minimum wage once they had 5000 hours experience. Many trucking jobs pay $22.00 to $23.00 per hour on payroll or $26.00 to $27.oo to a corporate account.. The O T A and the C T A was told that when speed limiters came in that hourly pay at a fair hourly rate should happen at the same time
Many people have quit crossing the border because of poor treatment if they get sick. We need to have more parking and overtime pay after 10 hours per day and 50 hours per week. Too many former truck drivers are in the homeless shelters at a huge cost to the taxpayers and Non profit groups. The O T A and other people in the transportation of goods and people screaming shortage do not want to pay the same wages as a fireman . We should limit all farms construction companies to 2 truck drivers for a 8 months permits of the year from mid April to mid dec . No O T A or C T A members should be able to bring in more foreign truck drivers in until all wage claims including overtime for the last 7 years and injured truck drivers that worked for them are looked after. In Ontario Canada the gov needs to provide insurance for new truck drivers for the first 2 years for all fleets of 10 or less that agree to minimum wage and freight rates.
He said nothing new. This has been talked about for a long time.
Miser pays twice.
The mileage salary does not guarantee the driver’s income, which leads to the constant fear of not making enough money, even if you have spent many hours working. All this leads to a large number of accidents. And no tightening of laws will help !!!
All the same, the government will have to prohibit discrimination against drivers and start paying for the time.
No matter how companies lobby their interests.
Only a sharp increase in wages will solve all problems.
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Local gov paying $30.00 per hour for truck and transit buses has lots more people than they need. The trucking companies need to look at the treatment of truck drivers and pay including treatment by the receiver. The Ford gov is looking at having group homes to house former truck drivers who have lived in Homeless shelters along with a few Non profit groups across Ont. Until the insurance companies and private trucking companies fix the housing of disabled truck drivers more foreign truck drivers should not be able to come to Canada.
The constant deterioration of conditions and wages has supported the corporations view of ‘more for less’. Only recently have companies such as Walmart finally stepped up to pay a decent wage package to their logistics drivers.
‘Ease of entry’ into the industry has always been one of the curses of trucking. Anyone who could scrape up a down payment was in business. How to get that first contract – ‘cut the rate’. How did all the culture people get in business – some manager somewhere wanted cheaper rates, so they went after the cheap trucks rather than paying a ‘living rate’ to someone else. When the rates go down, so do the wages. Corporate outfits like low rates. Amazon of the world – great example.
If we were to pay truck drivers their O/T after 44 hrs and a good base salary of what a repair tech sees or a forklift operator etc. a QUALIFIED ( different than certified) driver should be at least in the @ 25- $30/hr range ( or more depending on the commodity). If these type of wages were paid, the grocery and cheap shippers would have a fit. These ‘cheap’ shippers have the ear of politicians as well and “can you imagine the cost of my product if I had to pay those rates?”
So, rather than show the integrity of a good corporate entity, the trucking companies get caught up in the ‘race to the bottom’, by asking for TFW (Temporary Foreign Workers) and the Government allows the scams and abuses. When you burn through all your own people, lets import people who are more desperate for work and don’t know what they are getting into.
This whole thing is also driven by the ‘independence’ mode of human nature. “if I could get ‘ALL’ the freight I’d do better”. The small operator who doesn’t have the vision of what growth will cost. More trucks, more drivers, more repairs doesn’t mean more profit. Now start paying for benefits, better working conditions, better pay, better equipment – WOW! I can’t afford all this I’ll pay less and not fix any equipment and cut the rate to get that freight – All of this contributing to the dilemma.
Right now we have companies coming into our line of business, without knowing their true cost, and not just cutting a rate, but SLASHING them. These operators think that “those guys charge too much, I can do it cheaper” until the claims show up, they find they aren’t insured properly and all they did was mess up the rate for the responsible people.
Deregulation is the cause of the negative impact on the trucking industry from wages to safety
1. Get rid of bottom sucking freight brokers. 2. This story has nothing new to offer and is a waste if time. As a 40 year veteran in the trucking industry I have absolutely no wage increases. My first job as a new truck driver paid $18/he in 1979. That same wage is still offered today. There is no driver shortage but just opportunity for companies to import drivers from other countries and offer ridiculous wages subsidized by the Canadian Government. HR Canada is an entity that just provides lip service to make it look like they are making a difference to the trucking industry. I chose poorly today as I didn’t think this dead end industry would have treated me so poorly and disrespectful. The trucking industry is a joke in Canada.
This is all well and good but while drivers and owner operators keep saying yes to low mileage rates, no pay for waiting and free miles – this ain’t gonna change one iota.
I am glad that, due to the Corona thing, trucking is getting a bit more appreciation from the general public but let’s face it – nothing has really changed in the grand scheme of things.
Brokers – need to be more open and not fuel the race to the bottom.
Owner / operators – have to ball up and say NO to cheap freight rates. Know what your hard work is worth!!!
I know what we paid to brokers and I found out how much the trucks were getting out of that rate.
It is scandalous what the difference is between rate paid by the shipping company and the rate paid to the truck.
We now arrange our own trucks and make deals on every load directly to o/o’s.
We ended up saving a bit of money and the o/o’s are making the money they want!!
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Arden
Do you have a contact? -
All truck drivers need to get paid by the hour $30-$35 per hour when the E log is mandated the government should change every by the hour take the mileage rate away completely that is the only way the industry is going to change I’ve been out here for 45 years will be giving it two more years and I will be done I encourage everybody I know and my family not to get into the Trucking industry it is not worth it you end up doing a lot of work for free it is very sad the way the government lets these big companies operate if it wasn’t for the truck drivers the country would be in a standstill grocery stores would be empty no clothes to buy no gas to buy no medication to buy no vaccines delivered think about It ladies and gentlemen but there always will be diehard drivers that will be out there and do it anyway thank you
Belzer and Ritchie are right, as a retired trucker I see nothing but as mess out in the industry. Under-payed poor training and poor driver skills and courtesy, too many free hours . everyone cutting their own throats for poverty freight rates fuel and insurance, emission tools and products and a complete lack of empathy for driver health and safety. Ya the industry is a mess. I don’t encourage anyone to get into trucking unless that’s all you know you can do to earn a living.
We started paying our 350 Professional Drivers by hour 20 years ago. They got pay for all their hours and our turnover was zero most years. Also we never advertised for Professional Drivers in any publication or web
page.
You choose to take advantage of people or you don’t.
You don’t sign poor freight agreements or you do.
I don’t know who always play this game of driver shortage. Actually they try to crate this fake news in the market so that more people should try to come in this profession. Nobody want to count highway drivers time they spend on road and are using public washrooms and so many shit shippers don’t allow drivers to use the same as warehouse employees have platinum buts . This is a very much ignored industry .Drivers are being cheated by carriers on the name of PC miles. Owner operators are in same condition. What there is not a same software being selected from DOT or MOT which should be available in all trucks like E LOGS . There is a lot which should be done from government side but ……. .
Why don’t employers try something different. Like, maybe fire their accountant if he/she have no idea how to save them money allow the driver to make a reasonable wage.
Try this:
Let’s say a BC carrier pays his driver $30.00 and hour or 60 cents per mile.
Take 20% of that and reduce his rate to $24.00 per hour or 48 cents per mile and pay him Subsistence. (Living Out Allowance).
At the rate of $6.00 per hour or 12 cents per mile. This is Tax Free to the Employee so it will reduce his taxes when filing his annual return. And in addition he reduces his tax bill even more by claiming his meals while on the road.
$6.00 per hour X 50 hours per week = $300.00 tax free and the employer claws back HST in the amount of $33.14 per day = $198.84 per week times the number of drivers. Let’s use 30 drivers times $198.84 = $5,965.20 per week times 50 weeks = $298,260.00 worth of HST claw backs. (HST at the rate of 12%.)
See what the industry thinks of that.
I believe there would be no driver shortage if carriers paid $30.00 per hour plus pay for staying in truck overnight.
I ve heard many times that the shortage is carriers willing to pay.
If your willing to pay you won’t have to pay recruiters and you will have good people knocking on your door
I have been in trucking for over 35 years.. majority of the time wasted and un paid IMO and wages are caused by both shippers and receivers, due to poor planning and floor oe storage capacity. Often causing drivers un told hours delayed, or held p unloading/loading .
The shippers and receivers should compensate the drivers not the corporation..often the trucking companies do receive good money for delays but keep in in their pockets and pay menial amounts to the truck or driver…
I have gotten so fed up with bankrupt states looking at weigh stations how to capitalize on trucks for revues,rather tbsn safety..or police agencies actoss the USA looking for easy fines..I just got out of the trucking industry period. Its been far worse now than 20 yesrs ago and its tje lack of over sight from government agencies, transportation departments and you practically need a legal degree to understand essch state law in 48 different states..as well as the CVSA.and how each is applied across the usa…
So i retired ..dropped my class of license, and decided enough is enough…
The young people see the bull and want no part of this business…
Trucking companies will fail and a reset hss began..
In the “Safety” part of this article it insinuates that the figures from the NHTSA (800 fatalities, 44,000 injuries, etc.) are all from accidents caused by “drowsy” driving, but does not come right out and say that. Where is the context here, or evidence of direct correlation? This is supposed to be ” Trucking Journalism”, not some daily rag trying to perpetuate the myth of killer trucks. Do a better job and don’t disrespect the people you are trying to represent.
Personally, I think based on experience that instead of talking about the lack of drivers, one should talk about the lack of loads. If there were so many drivers with the number mentioned in the article, I would have to wait a few days for the load, excluding the covid 19 crisis. I do not understand this lack of drivers propaganda but there must be a purpose.
I do believe there is a very real “competent driver” shortage, it is way too easy to get a license, and it causes safety issues that seem to by and large, go unchecked. I watch “puppy mill” driving schools take a daycab tractor and a 48′ empty tandem van and turn left onto Tompkins Rd, Left on Glidden, left on Rutherford, left on Steeles, and left on Tompkins rd, they drive around that same block in Brampton for a week or 2, the guy gets a license, amd the next thing he’s hauling a 5axle dump/flatbed or whatever around the GTA, gets in a bad wreck people get get killed, and the MTO amd the media are baffled!!! More safety regulations! Crack down on distracted driving, all while ignoring the elephant in the room!! Draw up some real safety standards and regs amd serious limitations on what drivers in the pre employment stage are allowed to do, have some real serious minimum standards and multiple tests drivers must preform before they are allowed to be turned loose on the public, make it similar to the trades with a kind of “red seal” recognition for a fully qualified driver, for public safety if nothing else, I know this will not help the companies with their “driver shortage” but if you put some real value in having the commercial license, so not just anyone can get one, that will for some value into the position of truck driver, I honestly don’t understand why the insurance industries aren’t screaming for this, but it’s not just the pay, a lot of people don’t want to cross the border, or they don’t want to be away from home, I know I struggle with that, I also struggle with H.O.S especially in the U.S, I find I spend half my day sitting around waiting for the computer to tell me I’m not tired anymore, I loved paper logs, but only because I could bend the rules to suit me, it is very depressing being 2000 miles from and sitting around for 36hrs, or even 10 hours, and staring out the windshield at some truck stop waiting to able to go to work, that is the hardest part of this job for me now, amd I’m lucky eough to work for a carrier that pays well, relatively, they have a hybrid pay package you talk about, but it doesn’t make up for all the sitting around the D.O.T and the M.O.T tell me have to do because they say I should be tired, no one pays for that, and it’s the hardest part of my week, although I do not find it nearly as problematic on the M.O.T rules, but I spend a lot of time in the U.S and I find it very long days sitting around on their rules, just my opinion
I agree with all the comments from below this article,as I am a former driver and was working by the hr and barely made ends meet ,I have a serious health reason that’s why I got out of it,companies need to pay they’re drivers more same story as always, thanks
Good to read
It’s not possible to have a driver shortage. There would be freight stacked everywhere around the many manufacturers around the country! Where did all the drivers go to work that were at one of the many companies that went out of business? Not retail-it barely exists. Not fast food, they have all cut staff.
Supply and demand. When the government opens the country to hundreds of thousands of immigrants and steers them to a certain industry it’s no wonder why the wages stay stagnant.
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The gov should solve the insurance issues for new drivers of truck, bus, wheelchair taxis. They should also require anyone bringing overseas workers pay for air transportation to Canada and housing for 3 years at the employers cost plus a living wages to all drivers and mechanics with the company Over 60 percent of truck drivers are doing other things in Ontario because of lower wages and poor treatment including unpaid hours worked.
There’s not a driver shortage there’s a brains shortage. Asking the idiots who are in charge of the industry to sort this mess out is just too challenging for them…..even though the guys on this page have already told them how to do it.
The government need to legislate on minimum hourly rates now that ELDs will become mandatory. No TFW (and yes I was one), no profit share, no bonus, no by the mile. All waiting time paid for (by the hour not by the day). Pay rates and conditions should be tied to a companies safety fitness certificate….in other words….try cheating and we will put you out of business. The DOT and government needs to acknowledge and address their role in making the life of a driver unsafe. Stop targeting the responsible drivers with BS tickets and get to the heart of the problem.
I am going to put something out there for everyone to think about because no one, and I mean no one really talks about the *real* underlying problems, not just in the trucking industry, but others as well – so here you go. In a competitive (capitalist) economy, with a relatively low barrier for employment entry (not much required training), and with a massive labor pool, wages will absolutely be bid down to some point where the available pool of people who would WANT to do a job for a “reasonable wage” shrinks which causes an apparent “shortage”. As many of you pointed out, there really isn’t a driver shortage, it is really a shortage of qualified workers who will do “x” job for “x” dollars. Currently there is zero incentive to raise wages in this case and if I were are trucking company owner, I wouldn’t give too hoots about it. Why would I? Because I care about you? Nope. It’s just an economic reality that I can take advantage of. Sure there are huge issues with drivers not being paid for all the hours they actually work (just like flight attendants…they don’t get paid until the door on the aircraft closes and the time clock stops when the door opens at the destination, so they are another group who really gets shorted) and this can be solved by the government putting in place wage controls to insure drivers are paid for waiting time because in truth they are “on the job and available” – but they won’t because they don’t have the political will to do so. If lifeguards/police/firemen only got paid for each rescue, crime they stopped or fire they put out, no one would do those jobs because 80-90% of the job is just sitting around and waiting right? So remember that come election time.
In my view, the *real* issue is that there are TOO MANY people on this planet looking for low paying work and it will always be this way until world populations are reduced. And with the advent of robotics and automation (and eventually self driving trucks) this will only get FAR WORSE causing widespread economic instability, and civil unrest at some point in the near future. Until more people would stop having so many children among all countries and cultures, including right here in good ‘ole Canada, generally speaking, just because they can, this situation will continue forever. You would think that people would stop and think about their children’s future and clue in to the real causes of at least some of the wage issues that lower skilled worker’s face, but I doubt things ever will…..
OMG it’s the pay stupid! We allow TFW’s, so why raise pay? It’s one reason Britain left the EU! Eastern Europeans came and would work for less! Polish truckers work for peanuts!
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That is why so many Truck drivers from britain worked in the Oil Fields in Alberta and in Australia. Uk larger trucking companies complained they the british truck drivers wanted 14 lbs per hour plus overtime and off shore driver cost 10 lbs per hour.
I concur with the comments that pay must go up to attract more young people, but you can’t just hire a licensed driver and shove him in a truck and then expect him to get where he’s supposed to go, safely, and then unload and then find where he’s to reload , etc etc , and expect a successful outcome without some serious training and mentorship. That also cost a lot , in double wages and extra time. Carriers used to get away without this when “farm boys” were plentiful but those days are long gone when “kids” learned to drive at the age of 9 or 10 when country roads were mostly empty and the speed of the tractor was a maximum of 10 mph.
There’s never been a driver shortage its about driver turnovers. Mega fleets get more trucks in and dont have well trained drivers to fill the seats. The ata has beaten a dead horse for years its time to stop . The main problem is drivers get shorted on money detention layovers and more. There are entirely to many fleets that just dont pay dont give good training and the ones out here for years get equipment damaged by mega fleet self insurance and it needs to stop
What drives trucker compensation low? Broker greed.
Been driving a concrete truck about 6 years I make about 21 an hour, way better than what I was making at Schneider 33 cpm. I am respected by fellow employees and management and am paid from the moment I clock in to when I clock out. Simple and I like it, hours slow down in the winter but it’s the price to pay for a good job considering I live in rural new Mexico .
More pay for what we do and more home time for those with families. We all know we should be paid for everything we do. If we have to log it than we should be paid for it. No matter if it’s five min or five hours. Better time with family will keep families together and less stress for drivers. Drivers have a life too. Theirs kids out there that need love. Can’t keep ignoring our kids and seeing them grow up in this society of hate and wrong doing. Our government needs to blame more of the problems we face on the Carriers and shippers. Time is money but time is more important with decent pay and decent time with family. I as a parent can’t teach my kid right if I’m always gone. I’ll always be wondering how their life is going. We the truck drivers that keep this world moving need more respect and honesty. We need less hate and judgement towards us. We need more companies too see the reality and what it takes to be a driver. If it wasn’t for us many people would be without. And I think when it comes to hours we need to quit adding stuff for companies to take advantage of to work their drivers more. We need to put our feet in other people’s shoes to understand what they are dealing with. Like Undercover Boss. How is it fair to pay a model, football player,singer ,movie star or these people that do pyramid schemes more than those that actually make this world move. We will pay more for useless stuff that has nothing to do with bettering society or raising our kids up in a manner that please God. We will rip people off and pay them like crap and watch them struggle but moan and groan later bc you have to help them. We sit here and watch people live on streets while we indulge ourselves with our money and things. Why? When it comes down too it,God is right. Money is the root of all evil. Let’s take a stance and change this world for the better not only for Truck Driver but for everyone that actually puts effort to keep this world spinning for everyone else.
Hi there,
I got a few friends in the trucking industry. Most of them will tell you the way of a problem is also in ELD tracking. It should get rid off because it’s forcing truckers to drive beyond the ability to rest properly. I think it would help to regulate rates and force to establish certain rules for delivery goods to have base line rate which would be adequate to living wages in each year. Prices always fluctuate depending on the market as well as everything else so the wages should as well. Unfortunately the government creating rules in the wrong path and it is good for government but not for people delivering goods. I thing we need to get together and make sure we let them know what to change in our legislation so everyone would have an equal rights.
More employers need to be shamed publicly for the rates they pay. If someone would please create and update a database that reflects actual offers made by companies to drivers, so we could see before we apply. There’s plenty of money being shelled out to financiers, doctors, lawyers, accountants and technology savants, it’s time we make them pay up or starve.
There isn’t a driver shortage! There is a truck driver shortage! Let me explain the difference! I find it funny most ppl don’t know the difference, but when a family member gets hurt or worse killed by a driver they don’t know who or what to blame!! I’m a truck driver, been one for 16+ years and I started from the bottom to learn properly and be safe doing it! Drivers on the other hand are at the mercy of the ppl Dispatching them… I hope all the ppl that are trying to make a fast buck from ppl that don’t know the industry get to know in a more visceral way what that translates to on the same roads that u and ur family drive…
I WOULD AGREE WITH EVERYTHING YOU’VE SAID..
.50-.55.CENTS A MILE & GOVERNORed. At 65 miles an houis a Danger in its self. I wonder how many trucks are rear-ended every year.
I was making .53 a mile before covid.Now job bank ads are offering 20.61 an hour. Where does that number come from. I will not apply for those jobs.
I have been looking for drivers to work full time with almost all city or short haul loads that have them home at night and over the weekend. We start at $25/hour and offer benefits. I STILL can’t get good people in the door, let alone in our trucks.
I have had drivers showing decades of experience driving, then they rip up panels of a van as the back in a deck in a spot where there was adequate room. But my insurance won’t cover anyone with less than 3 years of experience and drivers with more want oilfield rates for city work. Which, I just can’t afford as I get undercut bidding for runs with companies staffed by inexperienced newly licensed Class 1s.
It sure feels like there’s a shortage of good drivers willing to work.
Driving a big rig was the worst decision I ever made in my life I would have Ben better off staying in the military
trucking should pay the hours used on ELD logbook .
on duty pre&post trips loading .unloading time.
36 hour resetaway from home.
Not only to Drivers but owner operators aswell.
its load brokers paying $1.to $2 permile and pushing Delivery time after they held on to loads to the last moment then pushing for team load . Team loads not paid Extra for Quick service .
there need to set min mile rate that can be posted. The middle man takes all the profift margin.
hourly rate for drivers and owner operator.would be the ideal way .what ever hours used on the logbook
25000 empty seats does not equal a driver shortage!
When we have 25000 loads sitting on the dock waiting for someone to haul them, “then” we may be able to call it a driver shortage, but even that would be debatable.
This entire issue has been clouded from the start by those whom seek to drown the transportation labor market with competition in order to keep pay artificially low, and they have done a commendable job. They have even managed to convince a good portion of the labor pool that there is a shortage.
“Defeated” are many who’ve dedicated their lives to this industry, given up hope of ever being respected monetarily.