I work in the Trucking Industry. Drivers are sometimes “abused” by their employers, but no more than any other sector of the job market. As far as “speeding”, few (if any) carriers have their trucks set for going anything past 65mph. The penalties for “skipping breaks” is very high for both Drivers and the companies they work for. Any Driver who is breaking his Hours of Service regulations is taking their job in their hands, as the company will not tolerate it. Every company I have worked for dispatches their trucks at 48mph, meaning they only expect the Driver to move 480 miles in 10 hours.
The biggest reason there is a shortage of Drivers is very simple, low pay. If you had to support TWO households, what would it take for you to live on? Even living on the cheap out on the road will cost you $20 a day minimum (if you don’t smoke). The advertisements for “$60,000 a year” are for a Driver that never goes home. Drivers today expect to be home every couple of weeks, and will spend 3 or 4 days off when they are home.
The physical impact of Driving over the road is one of the least considered aspects of the job. Never sleeping at the same time every day, never eating at the same time (not to mention the poor diet choices), and the sedentary lifetsyle are killers. In all my years in this industry, its very rare to see a Driver who could be considered healthy. And forget about the hype about “seeing the country”. If it isn’t within 50 yards or so of the highway or truckstop you won’t see it. And your schedule rarely permits you the time to stop and see anything even if that place has truck parking.
Most Trucking companies consider themselves lucky to have a less than 100% turnover rate yearly, Drivers are always changing companies, it has been that way for as long as I can remember. Company loyalty is not a concept Drivers understand, and I will agree that few companies take any measures to cultivate it.
This is all very interesting stuff. Good post.