New Trend Survey Shows Wages in Flux, Lower Contractor Pay, Aging Driver Corps

American Trucking Associations’ latest study of driver trends shows a continued aging of the driver corps, lower pay for independent contractors and a wide variation in wage-increase policies.

Released July 2, the survey is based on 155 participants. It found the average driver age rising to 47 years from 45 in a 2009 ATA report. In addition, ATA’s study found that the percentage of revenue that carriers paid to owner-operators to haul fleets’ freight fell to 70% in the latest survey, compared with 73% of revenue in its report based on 2007 data.

Fewer than 25% of fleets with revenue less than $10 million raised pay for national solo employee drivers, but every fleet in the $10 million to $50 million revenue category increased driver wages. One-third of fleets with more than $50 million in revenue boosted pay.

Regional driver pay was raised by 48% of carriers, compared with 49% in the earlier survey.

“The driver market is tightening,” ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said. “We hear nearly every day from fleets who cannot find enough drivers to meet demand. In an effort to help motor carriers address this critical need . . . ATA gathered driver-compensation data.”

The report also offers details on how often solo driver pay for fleets was differentiated based on driver tenure.

The survey found 65% of fleets differentiated pay based on tenure, down from 69% in the earlier survey.

However, fleets with under $10 million in revenue allowed drivers to reach full pay in three years, the new survey found, compared with five years in the earlier report.

Survey data were segmented by regional and national service for both truckload and LTL fleets. Separate data were provided for general freight, flatbed, private, refrigerated and bulk fleets.

Data was gathered about companies’ annual revenue, carrier type, service area, driver corps size, power units and independent contractors, if any.

Driver data included years of experience, training, age, bonuses and benefits information such as holidays, vacation time, home time, retirement plans and medical/dental program offerings.

In addition, the report contains a hiring and retention section that assesses the number of methods used for driver hiring and recruitment costs.

Independent contractor pay levels as well as percentage of revenue also are in the survey, as is information about pay for technicians.

ATA said the study was done through an Internet survey of carriers, each of which had a unique login and password to ensure the data were valid.

More information about the full survey can be obtained through ATA’s Business Solutions unit at 866-821-3468 or at atabusinesssolutions.com.