Emurse

In 2004, average earnings in the truck transportation and warehousing industry were higher than the average for all private industry, as shown in table 2. The average wage in the trucking sector of the industry was higher than the average wage in warehousing. Earnings in selected occupations in truck transportation and warehousing appear in table 3.

Most employers compensate truck drivers with an hourly rate, a rate per mile, or a percentage of their load's revenue. Benefits, including performance-related bonuses, health insurance, and sick and vacation leave, are common in the trucking industry.

The major union in the truck transportation and warehousing industry is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. About 11 percent of trucking and warehousing workers are union members or are covered by union contracts, compared with approximately 14 percent of workers in all industries combined. Since union drivers tend to make more than nonunion drivers, some trucking companies use “double breasting”—employing union as well as nonunion operating divisions in an attempt to lower labor costs. Other companies use graduated pay scales and pay lower wages for new hires. Many give pay increases after predetermined periods to those with safe driving records. Some deal exclusively with owner-operators in order to offset the cost of owning and maintaining a fleet of vehicles.