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From 2018: > Oppelaar's first trucking job, in 1977, paid $5 an hour — or $21.50 an hour in 2018 dollars, he said. That was soon bumped up to $30 an hour in to
by throw0101a 5y ago
From 2018:
> Oppelaar's first trucking job, in 1977, paid $5 an hour — or $21.50 an hour in 2018 dollars, he said. That was soon bumped up to $30 an hour in today's dollars.
> But now, as a line-haul driver for XPO Logistics, one of the world's largest logistics companies, Oppelaar earns about just under $25 an hour, he told Business Insider.
* https://www.businessinsider.com/trucking-shortage-eld-mandate-cdl-truck-driver-salary-2018-6 https://www.businessinsider.com/trucking-shortage-eld-mandat...
- listenallyall 5y agoNot discounting the possibility wages have declined. However, just comparing hourly rate in trucking is over-simplifying. Does the company cover any expenses? Does the driver own the cab? Is there a federal mandate on rest hours per day/week/month? And it is always misleading to compare wages "in today's dollars" as if every item and wage and asset inflates perfectly evenly.
- harry8 5y agoAt some level of detail you're right of course but I feel completely safe ignoring all that when we're talking about someone being paid $25/hr. It's objectively low. Is the employer paying the drivers' rent?
- listenallyall 5y agoDoes this particular guy have a clean driving record? Is he reliable? Here's a pretty well-known company stating they pay about $50k annually to 1st year drivers, with the potential for more than double that down the road. Walmart drivers average $87,500 annually. Of course, these companies won't even talk to you if you have a DUI or accidents, and then sure, your earning is going to be much lower. https://schneiderjobs.com/truck-driving-jobs/experienced/truck-driver-pay https://schneiderjobs.com/truck-driving-jobs/experienced/tru... https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2020/03/09/walmarts-hiring-500-truck-drivers-a-member-of-our-private-fleet-says-dont-wait-to-apply https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2020/03/09/walmarts-h...
- saberdancer 5y agoWhat really changed in those 40 years? He is still doing the same job, with the same effectiveness. It's not really unexpected that the $/hr would remain the same. Honestly I am more surprised that it correlates that well to inflation.
- throw0101a 5y ago> What really changed in those 40 years? Off the top of my head: lower rates of unionization. See also: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_Carrier_Act_of_1980#Criticism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_Carrier_Act_of_1980#Crit...