Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/357935
94 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | AUGUST 2014 EQUIPMENT: WHAT DRIVERS WANT at times. But common themes did emerge that may be helpful to fleets struggling to cope with driver recruitment and retention. "IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY" Not surprisingly, money emerged as the single-biggest driver concern and complaint. To put it bluntly, most drivers do not feel they are paid fairly for the job they do and are angered by the fact they feel compelled to spend long, uncompen- sated hours waiting to load and actually go to work, or are called upon to perform tasks that they are not paid to do. More than 30 percent of company drivers surveyed told CCJ they initially went into trucking to "make a good living and provide for my family." But many feel wages have either flattened out or actually decreased during their time in the industry, and comments throughout the survey reflected this frustration. Alarmingly, a quarter of company driver respondents reported that they made $35,000 or less last year, with one respondent remarking, "When a driver is on the road four weeks and gets three days with the family and has not made $4,000, it is an insult." Another commented, "There's no money out there and too much nonsense. You make a little bit of money, and then you lose it right away by taking home time. It's a waste of time with no life." "Fleets need to pay a lot more and offer flexible time off," another driver said. "We need to be able to have more than a 24-hour reset. Less paperwork. Needs to be wireless between shipper and receiver. Just give driver a confirmation num- ber when delivered. Need truck stops with medical persons. Drivers get sick sometimes." Other drivers seem to be looking to break the conventional compensation setup by seeking out fleets with more progres- sive pay models. One driver reported, "I switched companies recently, and the hours are better and miles less. However, the new company is employee-owned and has profit shar- Among company drivers, 15.1 percent say they have been driving from 6 to 10 years. $35,000 or less More than $100,000 $75,001 to $100,000 $50,001 to $75,000 $35,001 to $50,000 $35,000 or less More than $100,000 $75,001 to $100,000 $50,001 to $75,000 $35,001 to $50,000 WHAT WAS YOUR NET INCOME LAST YEAR? Company driver Leased owner-operator BASED ON YOUR PAY SO FAR THIS YEAR, YOU WILL: Company driver Make less money than I did in 2013 Make about the same amount of money as I did in 2013 Make more money this year than I did in 2013 30.5% 42.3% 27.2% Make less money than I did in 2013 Make about the same amount of money as I did in 2013 Make more money this year than I did in 2013 27.9% 43.5% 28.6% Leased owner-operator *2014 CCJ Driver Survey; 728 respondents