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Aug 12, 2017

TRUCKERS' LOW UNEMPLOYMENT * USA - Fierce competition

In a job market this good, who needs to work in the gig economy?

--- Uber Technologies Inc., Instacart and other gig-economy companies are straining to attract and keep the short-term laborers who give rides, shop for groceries and deliver meals at the tap of an app... Amid low unemployment and fierce competition, startups have begun offering richer perks, benefits and signing bonuses to lure on-demand workers to sign up for, and stay with, their platforms. Companies have beefed up recruiting, even touting the opportunity to join the staff full time -- a sign that maintaining a steady labor pool is growing expensive and difficult... The so-called gig economy, which is composed of part-time and freelance jobs, came on the heels of the Great Recession when high unemployment and stagnant wages made short-term workers relatively easy to find... Uber, seeking to repair rocky relations over pay and benefits with its roughly 600,000 active drivers, updated its app in July to enable tipping by customers. It has also rolled out a pilot insurance plan launched in partnership with Aon PLC to help cover on-the-job accidents... In June, Uber also committed to developing a program to help drivers take on full-time roles. More than 100 drivers have been hired into customer-support jobs across the country, according to a spokesman... 
(Photo: Stop wasting truckers' time)   --  Chicago, ILL, USA - The Morning Star/The WSJ, by Kelsey Gee - 8 Aug 2017

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Feb 10, 2016

"Keep on Truckin" * USA: Truck driving, the most prominent working-class profession in the United States today

* California - Truckers' job, almost entirely ignored by press, politics, and economists alike

-- Truck driving is the most prominent working-class profession in the United States today, and yet is almost entirely ignored by press, politics, and economists alike. It is one of the last remaining ways to carve out a decent middle-class living without a college education, and, to wit, has become an increasingly diverse and complex profession over the past decade... Of course, this half-way decent wage doesn't come without its fair share of difficulties. Truck drivers are plagued by depression, physical health issues, drug problems, and relationship woes. On average, they don't live as long as the average American. And still, the majority are some of the proudest, kindest people you'll ever encounter... Within the "Keep on Truckin' package", we've attempted to create a full-on sensory experience representative of truck driving life in America... Most of all, calling attention to both truck drivers and crucial periphery players (families, truck stop workers) will, hopefully, raise awareness and give a voice to the people who steer America's most pivotal, and overlooked, economic engine... Without truck driving, the lives of Americans would all but grind to a halt. As the industry continues to take steps toward self-improvement, it's time the people who work tirelessly to ensure Americans have the provisions they need finally get the recognition, respect, and—most importantly—help they deserve... 
(Photo: Ted Gresham/Flickr) - CAL, USA - The Pacific Standard, by Sarah Baird - 3 Feb 2016

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Mar 18, 2015

TRUCKERS' JOB * USA: Employees or Independent contractors ?

* Georgia - Truck drivers plead with legislators for better job benefits. They say it's been unfair for them to be classified independent contractors

-- A truck driver's tearful plea and other personal stories from Savannah truckers and Atlanta stagehands prompted a Senate committee to vote unanimously Wednesday to study whether some companies are taking advantage of workers by illegally classifying them as independent contractors... Truckers told the committee they have no workers compensation or other benefits because they are classified as independent contractors rather than employees with the various freight-hauling companies that serve the port of Savannah... Lewis Grant told how excited he was 17 years ago when he first considered himself an "owner-operator" in the trucking industry and how he relished the independence he thought that included. But the orders from the companies killed that dream, he said... (Photo: LA. Port truck driver strike July 8 2014)  --  Atlanta,GA,USA -Insurance News Net, by Walter C. Jones - March 16, 2015

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Jul 30, 2009

NEW TRUCKERS* USA - White collar workers find new gigs in big rigs

For some, that means trying a career they'd never dreamed of - driving a truck

Seattle,WASH,USA -KING 5 News, by JANE MCCARTHY -July 28, 2009: -- A lot of unemployed workers are turning their job loss into an opportunity... Truck driving schools across the country are reporting an increase in enrollment... At Bates Technical College in Tacoma, they have just added an extra class and still have a waiting list that's longer than ever. Some of their current students include former bankers and Microsoft employees... Loran Sawyer is just about to graduate from Bates Technical College commercial truck driving program... Bates Technical College truck driving instructor, Dan French, says while the economy has also whittled away the number of truck driving jobs, his students are finding work. In the last few months, he's even seen an upswing... Several companies say most of the openings right now are for long-haul drivers... (Photo from KING - Loran Sawyer used to be a yacht broker, until the economy sunk his yacht-selling career) - SEE VIDEO

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