Graphic from ATAThe American Trucking Associations issued a report Dec. 15 concluding that pay for truck drivers is at or above the U.S. household median income.
ATA surveyed 115,000 company drivers and another 17,000 owner-operators about their pay and benefits received in 2013.
In short, ATA concluded, fleets are doing a good job compensating drivers, spurred by demand carriers’ demand for more drivers. “The data in our Driver Compensation Study, which covered 130 fleets and more than 130,000 drivers, shows that now more than ever, trucking is an excellent career path,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “Fleets are raising pay and offering generous benefit packages in order to attract and keep their drivers in the face of a growing driver shortage.”
Median driver pay in 2013 for national truckload van drivers was $46,000 — $7,000 lower than the U.S. median household income of $53,000, ATA says.
Private fleet drivers, however, pull in about 60 percent than that — their 2013 average was $73,000, ATA’s report says.
ATA’s report also indicates there may be a trend among carriers of moving away from traditional mileage-only pay in lieu of multi-base pay packages.
Forty-two percent of the carriers included in the study used two types of base pay methods, ATA says, and 35 percent said they used three or more.
Twenty-three percent reported using just one base pay method.
Also according to the study, nearly 80 percent of carriers offer paid holidays off and match employee contributions to a 401(k) plan.
