On his show Last Week Tonight, John Oliver describes what is going on in the truck driving industry. Trucks provide a vital service in the transportation of goods but the working conditions of drivers have been steadily declining over the years, as trucking company owners put the squeeze on them, and has resulted in a shortage of drivers as more and more people leave their jobs. He says that the turnover rate is an astounding 300%, which means that every year, an average of three people are rotating through one job. He says that the actual take home pay is much less than the the nominally high salaries that are quoted.
Mano Singham
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As with a lot of blue-collar careers in the USA, there was a time when the income from truck driving could support a family. Companies started charging drivers for more and more, and giving them less and less, and now drivers are jumping ship to other companies that they think will be better. That’s part of the huge turnover. Another part is if a driver can’t afford their own truck (which is outrageously expensive and very few can afford that), they must drive for a company, which puts them at the mercy of company owners.