Higher Driver Pay Means More New Truck Drivers

Thanks to increased recruiting efforts, trucking companies were able to increase the number of new truck drivers by 40%.

For the first time since 2008, the number of Class 8 U.S. truck drivers has risen above 1.6 million. If medium and light-duty truck drivers plus independent owner operators are included, the tally of U.S. truck drivers rises to 3.4 million.

The increase is partly because wages are up. The yearly income of the average truck driver is up 2.4% to almost $42,000. In comparison, the average U.S. worker’s wage went up 1.7% to about $47,000 last year.

This wage increase means that though driver pay has stagnated for the past 15 years, drivers are coming at least a little closer to narrowing the 11% pay gap between truckers and average American workers.

Source:
Journal of Commerce