A perfect storm of economic pressures is making it hard for trucking companies to keep their drivers.
Inflation and reduced demand have led some carriers to ration out fewer miles per driver making those
focused on pay more susceptible to offers of more lucrative wages from competing firms looking to
poach talent.
According to the data from Commercial Carrier Journal’s What Drivers Want survey, almost a quarter of
all respondents (23%) said they would raise pay if they oversaw a fleet and could do only one thing to
attract more drivers. In addition, 18% said they would guarantee pay, loads, or mileage to increase the
predictability of take home pay.
That being said, only 9% of respondents listed not making enough money as the thing they dislike most
about their job, with only 1% citing lack of loads and miles. This thinking could have something to do
with the fact that more than half (52%) said their carrier had raised pay at least twice since 2020, and
another 10% reported that their pay had increased three times or more.
A recent report from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) suggests that commercial
drivers are concerned about compensation, rating it as their third-highest industry issue; it was ranked
as the fourth-highest issue overall.
Pay isn't the only problem for drivers, according to CCJ's What Drivers Want survey – a lack of respectfrom fleets and inadequate home time were also major issues. 62% of respondents cited pay as their topconcern, 56% of respondents cited feeling disrespected or excluded from team decisions, and 50% cited
not enough home time. Together, these elements create a picture of what carriers can improve if they
want to keep their best drivers.
However, drivers do continue to cite pay discrepancies as a major obstacle to their job satisfaction
levels, according to a recent report from WorkHound's Trends and Pay Report. 20.2% of all critical
feedback received during the past two years has been focused on issues related to compensation – with
four months (April, June, July, and August) where this figure was 25% or greater. Still though it appears
that money is not necessarily king when it comes to leaving a carrier: Only 26.6% of drivers named
paycheck echelon alone as the tipping point for them seeking new employment opportunities
elsewhere.
“It”s not always an amount issue," WorkHound CEO Max Ferrell said, noting that issues like truck
parking, detention and speed limiters, for example – three of drivers' top five concerns per ATRI – all
directly influence driver pay.
According to data compiled by PDA, professional truck drivers displayed a shift in concerns at the end of
2022, with compensation issues taking over as their top concern – breaking PDA's five-year trend of
equipment being the primary grievance. The data offers an insight into how driver needs and wants are
changing alongside industry innovations.
“The collective sentiment that we get, that drivers want to have their voice heard, is overwhelming”
Brewster said.
Despite decreasing complaints about their rate-of-pay for a second consecutive quarter, drivers have
seen an overall 13% drop in earnings since the start of 2022, primarily due to fewer miles. The
dissatisfaction with mileage has grown 14%, from 2021’s beginning until now, highlighting that low
wages are not the only issue causing driver discontentment.
Fleets are dealing with a plethora of issues that can make the lives of their drivers more difficult and
expensive. From equipment problems like having an insufficient number of trailers to logistical hitches
at customer locations, these struggles are preventing them from delivering on expectations which in
turn pushes back against wages and productivity alike.
Carriers may not always have control over the industry's turbulence, but according to Ferrell there is a
winning strategy: invest in what can be managed. Communication of pay plans and showing respect
towards drivers are paramount for addressing issues such as favoritism or mistreatment, which were
challenges cited by those using WorkHound’s platform and can have potential major implications on
their success.
Source: CCJDigital
