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> Long-haulers, lauded as the backbone of our economy, live out of their trucks for weeks at a time, often working eighty-plus-hour weeks while earning little m

> Long-haulers, lauded as the backbone of our economy, live out of their trucks for weeks at a time, often working eighty-plus-hour weeks while earning little more than minimum wage. The economist Michael Belzer has equated commercial trucking to working in a “sweatshop on wheels.” The shortage is, in fact, a retention problem: annual turnover at large fleets in recent years has exceeded 90 percent. 90% turnover. That is insane.

Mountain_Skies 3y ago
That insanely high figure is also why the predicted labor strike against automation of long haul trucking likely won't happen. Very few love the job and most who have experienced it quickly leave. It's one of those cases where not many will be put out of work should self driving ever come to be. Short haul on the other hand seems to be growing, pays better and probably is more difficult to automate.
- ceejayoz 3y ago
  Factory workers and coal miners in the 1800s probably didn't love their jobs, either. They still needed them, though, and thus... organized labor.
  - pi-e-sigma 3y ago
    If you have 90% turnover it means that people indeed don't need this particular job.
    - ceejayoz 3y ago
      They may need a trucking job, though. It depends quite a bit on where they turnover to. If they're largely jumping from trucking company to trucking company, a strike is still entirely feasible.
      - pi-e-sigma 3y ago
        I would disagree with your reasoning. The high turnover and a short tenure means people are not very attached to the job but more importantly it also means the drivers in any given trucking company don't know each other very well and it would be quite difficult for them to organize for a common cause such as a strike. Way to easy for the trucking company to play the drivers against each other.
dchuk 3y ago
What’s actually insane: for many fleets, 90% turnover would be considered amazingly good. Some fleets suffer from 300%+ turnover!
noshortage 3y ago
these non-trucking magazines that constantly claim there is a driver shortage should explain the extreme excess in supply and shortage of demand. do we need these drivers rolling at below cost before we start claiming the shortage is over? the data we look at in the trucking industry isn't indicating a shortage, many of us in the industry are perplexed by the constant "driver shortage" claims but i think people might just be used to news that doesnt tell the truth
- jdksmdbtbdnmsm 3y ago
  Claiming labor shortages in particular industries increases supply, which lowers wages.
giraffe_lady 3y ago
It may be partially intentional, or at least advantageous to the companies. There's a common model where a company pays for the driving school and then the driver leases a truck from the company. The driver is technically an owner-operator, and has all the expenses and risks of that, but are contracted to the company to "pay off" the school fees and so are effectively an employee. If they quit the company gets the truck back and the driver has to repay the school fees. A very cheap & low risk way for the company to have drivers, if they can manage the turnover.
- bombcar 3y ago
  This is the case, and the turnover usually involves the driver going to another company. Often those big "signup deals" you see for drivers are to pay off the previous company if necessary. Once a driver has some experience they will settle down in a company that doesn't turn over as much, or actually become a real owner-operator.
toss1 3y ago
>>90% turnover. That is insane. Yup It screams to me: Bad Management There are evidently companies that can retain workers There is obviously a lot more demand for trucks rolling on the road than supply
gosub100 3y ago
this might be how they want it though. The industry knows there is a steady stream of newly licensed, but completely inexperienced drivers. If some companies are willing to take the risk on them, but pay less, this could be a good introductory job for them. both parties know the employee will quit once he has enough hours to get hired by a better firm. the better firm has a different risk model, where they only hire drivers with X-month employment with no accidents. In return, they are willing to pay a premium.

Mountain_Skies 3y ago

That insanely high figure is also why the predicted labor strike against automation of long haul trucking likely won't happen. Very few love the job and most who have experienced it quickly leave. It's one of those cases where not many will be put out of work should self driving ever come to be. Short haul on the other hand seems to be growing, pays better and probably is more difficult to automate.

ceejayoz 3y ago
Factory workers and coal miners in the 1800s probably didn't love their jobs, either. They still needed them, though, and thus... organized labor.
- pi-e-sigma 3y ago
  If you have 90% turnover it means that people indeed don't need this particular job.
  - ceejayoz 3y ago
    They may need a trucking job, though. It depends quite a bit on where they turnover to. If they're largely jumping from trucking company to trucking company, a strike is still entirely feasible.
    - pi-e-sigma 3y ago
      I would disagree with your reasoning. The high turnover and a short tenure means people are not very attached to the job but more importantly it also means the drivers in any given trucking company don't know each other very well and it would be quite difficult for them to organize for a common cause such as a strike. Way to easy for the trucking company to play the drivers against each other.

dchuk 3y ago

What’s actually insane: for many fleets, 90% turnover would be considered amazingly good. Some fleets suffer from 300%+ turnover!

noshortage 3y ago

these non-trucking magazines that constantly claim there is a driver shortage should explain the extreme excess in supply and shortage of demand. do we need these drivers rolling at below cost before we start claiming the shortage is over? the data we look at in the trucking industry isn't indicating a shortage, many of us in the industry are perplexed by the constant "driver shortage" claims but i think people might just be used to news that doesnt tell the truth

jdksmdbtbdnmsm 3y ago
Claiming labor shortages in particular industries increases supply, which lowers wages.

giraffe_lady 3y ago

It may be partially intentional, or at least advantageous to the companies. There's a common model where a company pays for the driving school and then the driver leases a truck from the company. The driver is technically an owner-operator, and has all the expenses and risks of that, but are contracted to the company to "pay off" the school fees and so are effectively an employee. If they quit the company gets the truck back and the driver has to repay the school fees. A very cheap & low risk way for the company to have drivers, if they can manage the turnover.

bombcar 3y ago
This is the case, and the turnover usually involves the driver going to another company. Often those big "signup deals" you see for drivers are to pay off the previous company if necessary. Once a driver has some experience they will settle down in a company that doesn't turn over as much, or actually become a real owner-operator.

toss1 3y ago

>>90% turnover. That is insane. Yup It screams to me: Bad Management There are evidently companies that can retain workers There is obviously a lot more demand for trucks rolling on the road than supply

gosub100 3y ago

this might be how they want it though. The industry knows there is a steady stream of newly licensed, but completely inexperienced drivers. If some companies are willing to take the risk on them, but pay less, this could be a good introductory job for them. both parties know the employee will quit once he has enough hours to get hired by a better firm. the better firm has a different risk model, where they only hire drivers with X-month employment with no accidents. In return, they are willing to pay a premium.