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TRUCKERS´SHORTAGE * USA
* New York - A radical idea for managing truck drivers: Treat Them Better
NY,USA -The WSJ, by Betsy Morris -13 Aug 2014: -- Truck driver turnover is always chronic, but it’s getting especially urgent now that the economy is gaining steam and railroads are losing it. Demand for trucking is rising... But long haul trucking is a fragmented industry that pays its truck drivers in cents per mile. It generally doesn’t pay for the time they sit around waiting for shippers to load or unload or any of the other inconveniences of the job... That’s just the way it is... So a recent blog post by trucking company Ryder System was unusual, to say the least. “Drivers are a precious resource,” wrote William P. Townsend, Ryder’s Group Director of Labor Strategy. Once on board, “the next step is to keep them happy and loyal” ... Understand this is not an industry that mollycoddles drivers. It hardly trains them. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is calling for mandatory training and driver education for all entry-level truck drivers. Drivers are paid when the wheels are turning. They aren’t paid for time (or miles) lost because of traffic, construction, a break-down or delays–often for hours–caused by shippers or receivers. They often miss holidays, birthdays and weekends. They never know when, because delays and route changes are so unpredictable... So how does Ryder propose to keep truck drivers happy? Improve their quality of life. Some companies promise truckers predictable time at home, Mr. Townsend says, citing a survey that identifies lack of it as a top sticking point. Make trucking a career path and not just a job, with defined expectations and goals and the ability to transition into other positions at the company, he suggests. Sound crazy? Not so much, when you consider that David Abney, who becomes chief executive of United Parcel Service Inc. Sept. 1, drove a truck early in his career... To retain drivers, some companies are “exploring benefit options,” the blog post says, including change to vacation policies. Drivers also appreciate being treated with respect...
* Texas - Where have all the truckers gone?
Dallas,TXS,USA -The New York Times, by Neil Irwin -13 August 2014: -- Companies complain of too few drivers for their big trucks while inflation-adjusted wages for those behind the wheel have fallen 6 percent over the past decade... Swift Transportation’s 20,000 workers haul goods in almost 14,000 big-rig trucks that travel the interstates and back roads of the United States every day. The company’s performance is closely tied to the nation’s economy, which has been looking increasingly sunny lately... Executives may bemoan higher pay for workers because it could cut profit margins. But after a generation in which the median U.S. household has seen flat to declining inflation-adjusted income, wage increases are a welcome corrective. When workers begin to have more leverage in salary negotiations, it is a sign of an improving economy, not a liability that businesses should be complaining about...
Labels: truckers shortage
posted by Unknown @ 12:41 PM
1 Comments:
"Truck driver turnover is always chronic..."
Not always. Only since deregulation. The trucking companies don't care about the insanely high turnover. No other industry would tolerate it, but it's the business model of trucking.
I know this because the solution is very simple - pay drivers by the hour, and offer vacation packages to offset the long hours, and the many days spent on the road.
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