January 2015 |
Overdrive
| 17
ATA report
shows driver
pay averages
Truck driver pay is at or above
the U.S. household median
income, according to a report
by the American Trucking
Associations, which surveyed
115,000 company drivers and
17,000 owner-operators about
their 2013 pay and benefits.
The report concludes that
fleets are doing a good job
compensating drivers.
The data "shows that now
more than ever, trucking is an
excellent career path," said Bob
Costello, ATA chief econo-
mist. "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."
Median driver pay in 2013
for national truckload van
drivers was $46,000, which
was $7,000 lower than the U.S.
median household income of
$53,000, ATA says. Private fleet
drivers pulled in about $73,000,
about 60 percent more than the
median truckload pay.
ATA's report also indicates
there may be a trend among
carriers of moving away from
traditional mileage-only pay
in lieu of multiple base pay
packages.
Forty-two percent of the
carriers included in the study
used two types of base pay
methods, and 35 percent said
they used three or more, while
23 percent reported using just
one base pay method.
Nearly 80 percent of carriers
offer paid holidays off and match
employee contributions to a
401(k) plan, ATA's report says.
– James Jaillet
