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A long time ago when I was in high school (late 1970's), I knew some kids whose father was a truck driver. They were better off financially than my family (my
by anonymousiam 5y ago
A long time ago when I was in high school (late 1970's), I knew some kids whose father was a truck driver. They were better off financially than my family (my dad was a high school teacher/councilor). I asked one of them about it and learned that his dad earned twice as much as mine. (My father had a Masters degree and 35 years of tenure.)
Times have certainly changed since then. The trucking industry is now rife with exploitation.
- trelane 5y agoI believe this is a consequence of deregulation in the 80s, and everyone focusing on price.
- throwaway0a5e 5y agoTrucking is far more regulated now than it used to be.
- alistairSH 5y agoThe trucking industry was massively deregulated in 1980, opening up pricing competition and making entry into the industry easier. While this was likely as net positive for society (lower prices), trucking wages have been on the decline ever since. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_Carrier_Act_of_1980 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_Carrier_Act_of_1980
- missedthecue 5y agoBy "deregulated", this doesn't mean safety standards were eleminated, which i think is how many would interpret this. Instead, it ended price controls, competition barriers, vendor cartels and so forth. The Carter administration also did this to the airline industry which made flying affordable to the average person. Tickets today are cheaper than they were in 1970. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/02/how-airline-ticket-prices-fell-50-in-30-years-and-why-nobody-noticed/273506/ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/02/how-air...
- alistairSH 5y agoWould they? Deregulation in the Reagan era was largely about competition. AT&T, airlines, trucking, etc.