ARLINGTON, Va. – It should come as no surprise that company drivers and owner-operators/independent contractors ranked income as highly important in a new study from the American Trucking Research Institute (ATRI). In fact, it came second only to job security.
And in terms of income satisfaction, 68.9% of company drivers and 80.1% of owner-operators/independent contractors said they were very satisfied/satisfied with their income.
ATRI said its research includes data from more than 2,000 professional truck drivers, of whom more than two-thirds are owner-operators/independent contractors.
The analysis also examined the various compensation models used with company drivers and owner-operators/independent contractors and driver satisfaction levels with each.
More than 50% of owner-operators/independent contractors in ATRI’s dataset reported net incomes of over $75,000 in the previous year, while nearly 70 percent of company drivers indicated their annual wages fell in the $50,000 to $100,000 range.
A large percentage of owner-operators/independent contractors expected they would experience significant decreases in their job satisfaction (73.0%) and annual income (68.3%) if they were reclassified as a company driver.
“ATRI’s analysis validates what we know to be true with our professional truck drivers – those who choose to be owner/operators are often motivated by the desire to be in charge of their schedule and work environment,” said Eric Fuller, president & CEO of U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc.
“Understanding what motivates our company drivers and owner/operators allows us to better tailor offerings as we continue to focus on recruitment and retention.”
In addition to examining the differences between company drivers and owner-operators/independent contractors, ATRI’s analysis also offers insight into the different motivating factors for female truck drivers versus their male counterparts.
To access the full report, click here.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
I’m a company driver and I’m thinking about going owner opp. Just because I have to work harder to make any money. As a company driver I’m tired of making less for the amount of work I do. We’re under paid. I can make more money working at a fast food restaurant now a days than I can driving a tractor trailer.
Well its seems you haven’t hooked up with a good company. Im making 3500-4300 working 7 – 9 days on & 10 days off.
I wonder where this “” satisfaction ” came from. Because pay is the lowest ever. We work about 12 hours 6 days a week. To make 50 to 75 k . Thats 60 to 70 hours driving, loading, unloading, being harassed by 4 wheelers and troopers, abused and exploited by shippers, brokers,receivers, and truck stops…
Ive being driving for 34 years, and it is getting worse by the day..i cannot even afford to retaire. All for what?
I did finally landed on a company that respect us, drivers, still salary and benefits should be better, less hassle, but being honest, most of hassle came from FMCSA/DOT, who have no clue over the industry, yet, makes rules,regulations and a load of stupidity against us drivers.. we where around before times: before one is born, during every ones life time, and even after one’s dies, we are there besides them, delivering everything one needed and taking away they waste, and refuses.. little respect on the road, and the yards would be gratefully appreciated, better pay.. minimum of 65k a year, average of 85/90 would be just dandy.. and no charge on benefits for drivers…
I have a question. why would you pick atri to do this study. long are of ATA. how 1 sided. and another question what has atri done with all the money collected for truckers move America forward. You want to know the problem with trucking. no accountability for shippers receivers brokers lumpers. as for pay yes it’s went up. But the cost of living has far out paced pay raises. Overreach and overregulation on truckers rules and regulations that doesn’t promote any real safety just greed by politicians and mega carriers/ lobbyists instead of investing our money in roadways and bridges and education for entry level driver and general public how to operate around semi trucks safely. we fear monger with threats of attonamas self driving trucks to steal our jobs. with no consideration of how it will destroy our country economy and way of life. there is no safety only greed