Is trucking pay the biggest issue regarding the Trucker shortage?
I recently posted an article about Truck Driver Pay on our site so I’ll add a few paragraphs as it relates to the reason trucking isn’t a desirable industry.
It’s not really the amount of compensation drivers receive as much as it is what they’re being compensated for.
Truck drivers in North America subsidize freight costs over one billion dollars a month.
- This is a conservative estimate based on the “free labour” we provide every day. (Loading/unloading, wait time, pay per mile skimming, break down/repair time, pre/post trips, etc.) We all know this is a long list.
- So who is pocketing the money? The freight companies, or the large corporations that are squeezing them? The companies always seem to tell us the rates just aren’t there to pay us any more. As a driver, this really shouldn’t be our problem. We should never have to subsidize anyone, but we have been. We’ve been on the losing end for far too long.
- Corporate Bullying is when a company abuses an employee based on poorly defined or weak laws, a weak job market, recession, low qualifications, or experience of a driver. Employers use this fear as leverage to support Economic Exploitation.
Many drivers don’t have to deal with issues like this, but unfortunately there are thousands of others that do. Companies that utilize PNP programs are involved in corporate bullying.
Do you think this is the double edged sword of the corporations? Even if all the drivers fought to be paid for all they do, would the corporations eat this loss, or increase the costs of goods and services?
Do you honestly think corporations would cut into their billion dollar profits in order to subsidize the general population like drivers have been doing for years? Would the media further portray us as the bad guys and blame truck drivers when the prices went up?
Trucker Shortage. Many drivers have moved to the Alberta oil and gas sector to avoid the economic exploitation of the trucking industry.
In the end, everything flows downhill to rest on the driver’s shoulders.
Large corporations have been turning out record profits through a recession, while more working families are struggling just to feed themselves.
The corporations continue to grow stronger. With that strength comes the ability to dictate how business is done, how much they’ll pay and the rules of the game. The corporations squeeze the trucking companies, the trucking companies squeeze the drivers and the trucker shortage is created as drivers leave the industry behind.
So how do you like Capitalism now? Don’t get me wrong, I believe in Capitalism, but I also believe in some form of balance or control to keep a somewhat level playing field.
So what do you think about the trucker shortage? Your comments are always welcome.
