TORONTO (Nov. 27, 2000) — Who makes what? It’s the question everyone wants to know — and one company is ready to ask.

Cerno Research, a Toronto-based research firm, is embarking on a national survey of how Canada’s trucking industry rewards its workers. The company is working in cooperation with the Canadian Trucking Alliance and provincial trucking associations, and is looking for survey participants.

Last spring, the company released a test-market study of the Ontario trucking industry. Response came from 159 firms representing 25,249 workers (two-thirds of which are truck drivers). The general report, called Trucking Operations: Compensation & Benefits, covers 67 different job descriptions, from top-level sales executives to forklift operators. The survey was sponsored by the Ontario Trucking Association.

“The study was so well-received that we decided to make it national in scope,” says Stephen Harrington, manager of special projects for Cerno Research.

The study does show compensation figures by percentile in a chart (like the example to the left) so you can see whether your company pays high or low relative to other carriers. It also tackles complex compensation structures — it provides pay information about six different types of driving jobs, for example. All reporting is anonymous.

The report details how companies structure benefits packages, including pension plans, accidental death policies, and group Registered Retirement Saving Plans. Another section is devoted to employment policies: overtime pay, callback pay for off-duty employees, holiday pay, even wages paid during jury duty.

Cerno Research has conducted a similar compensation study for the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, formerly the Alliance of Manufacturers and Exporters, since 1995.

To participate in 2001, or for more information about the 2000 report (available in book form and on CD-ROM), phone (toll free) 1-877-28-CERNO or 416/531-5450.