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Wake-up call
by Timothy D. Brady
Apr 18, 2007 4:41 PM
DOT, trucking, logistics industry members and truckers need to wake up. They need to realize the purported driver shortage, driver pay, working conditions, and safety are all interconnected. To solve the safety problems, it’s necessary to address and resolve them all.
Consider this:
black boxes in trucks
limiting the speed trucks can run
telling truckers when they’re sleepy
creating stricter Hours of Service Regulations.
Will these alone create safer highways and a better work environment for truck drivers? Not if they can’t make a reasonable living, and feel that their time, both driving and waiting for dispatch or getting loaded or unloaded, is valued.
The question the industry should be asking itself is not why there aren’t enough drivers. There are an estimated 11 million CDL holders in the country today—more than enough to fill the estimated 20,000 driver jobs currently open. The question it should be asking is: “Why are Americans who are qualified to drive commercial vehicles not willing to fill these positions?”
The problem lies in how truckers are paid and how they are valued. According to a July, 2003, study by the Department of Labor Statistics,the average annual pay for a truck driver was just over $32,000. For all other workers it was almost $38,000, or about a $6,000 difference. Could this be one reason for the industry-wide turnover rate of well over 100%? Why would anyone want to spend days, if not weeks, on the road while knowing he or she could earn more while being at home every night?
When Americans (regardless of their economic position) are asked, If they had to drive a truck for a living, what would they require for an annual salary? The majority answer with an amount that is twice their current earning level.
If the earnings issue isn’t addressed, the exodus of drivers will continue, and as the American Trucking Assns. has predicted, the industry will be 110,000 drivers short in just a few years.
The industry can solve this mass departure of drivers while improving highway safety and security in one fell swoop. The solution: provide an economic environment where a company driver, a lease/operator, or an owner/operator can earn the revenue commensurate with the skills required. This pay scale must take into account: the dangers of the job
the necessary time required to complete all tasks
a return on investment for the equipment
and allow a trucker to make a safety-related decision without jeopardizing his income.
Every time a trucker’s held at a dock and not being paid, some truckers are tempted to manipulate logbooks so the money keeps flowing. When a driver is held up by the weather or major traffic tie-ups, the tendency is to skirt the Hours of Service to make the miles so the rent is paid. What would you do if the rent needs to be paid and groceries bought and you’re paid by the mile, and you hadn’t made the miles for the money you need?
The DOT and the FMCSA need to consider a regulation to be sure it truly creates a safe situation, studying the economic impact on a driver’s ability to earn a livable income and then adjust the regulation to lessen its financial impact on the commercial driver. Highway safety is something that occurs not only on the highway. It begins and ends with what happens at the loading or delivery dock, or in the manner under which a driver is dispatched.
Shippers and brokers have a responsibility to resolve these problems:
Ensure drivers don’t have to wait for hours to load or unload
If a delay is unavoidable, be sure the trucker is compensated for his or her time
If a trucker is out of hours by the time he gets to the dock or when he has completed the unloading process, he needs a secure and safe place to park
Don’t create a Catch-22 choice for drivers—break the HOS rules or be charged with trespassing.
Trucking companies need to support their drivers by:
Making sure they’re not put in the position of deciding whether to stay within the regulations and lose income, or skirt the law just to get a paycheck to the house
Treating drivers with respect in valuing their time, and being sure they’re compensated for all time spent on trucking tasks, not just the time they’re rolling down the highway. (How would a dispatcher feel if he only got paid for the time he’s on the phone talking to a driver, but was off the clock for all his other tasks?)
Being transparent about what is expected of a driver, and what the company has to offer— the good, the bad and the ugly
Taking the time to be sure the driver they choose fits their wants and needs; and they fit the driver’s wants and needs.
Truckers need to:
Say no when they know a situation creates a safety risk
Insist they be paid for all the time required to deal with the truck, the loads, weather, and the paperwork
Provide value in their services to the trucking company, the broker, shippers and receivers
Be sure the company they choose to drive for fits their wants and needs; and they fit the company’s wants and needs.
You’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem. If a trucker is pushed to do something unsafe in order to meet a schedule or to make his required income, or made to drive somewhere else so his truck doesn’t clog a shipper’s property, then the person making the demands must take responsibility for any accident that occurs because the driver was too fatigued to operate a truck safely. Friends wouldn’t let a friend drive drunk; the DOT, trucking companies, logistics industry members and—truckers—shouldn't create a situation where a trucker is driving tired!
Remember, it’s your company, your truck.
Timothy D. Brady is a 20 + year trucking veteran and AMSA’s 2002 Super Van Operator of the Year HHG. He’s the “Trucker’s Business Advisor” on Sirius Road Dog Network’s “Open Road Café” Wednesday mornings. Brady has authored several trucking business books and is available for speaking engagements and to conduct workshops.
Contact him at tbrady@writeuptheroad.com or (800) 292-8072.
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