But I consider my work easy. I only need to sit in front of several computers, move the mouse, and press keys on keyboards. I cannot compare that to the work of a trucker. In my job I can stop and relax at any time, and then continue. A trucker needs far more time to stop and to start again. He cannot even take a random exit - it may be not safe for his truck. If I make a mistake, it's not a big deal, I press Backspace and correct the problem right away. If a trucker makes a mistake, it may be hard to extricate his remains. Our jobs are not even comparable.
I'm not against people being free to work as much as they want. However it becomes a problem when an industry requires a worker to work 82 hours to just make ends meet. It's just not healthy for the worker and his family. He shouldn't have to work more than 40-45 hours per week simply to survive. If that's the case, the trucker's labor is undervalued. Are there too many truckers? Are there companies who charge far below the average, thus dragging the average down?
Just curious if you know any truckers, if so, go ask them about their job/hours/taxes/fees etc etc.
If you don’t, perhaps you should learn a bit more about the industry before making a comparison that is really not accurate.
Everything you use has come to the store by truck, EVERYTHING.
“However it becomes a problem when an industry requires a worker to work 82 hours to just make ends meet. It’s just not healthy for the worker and his family”
I ran a business for over 40 years and never put in less than 80 hours a week and many more a lot of time!
If you are ‘comfortable’ at 40-45 hrs a week, fine.
You won’t find that in most private industry fields and I have NEVER worked that few hours since HS when I was putting in 20-30 hrs a week setting pins in a bowling alley, Navy didn’t keep track of hours, as a Construction (Asphalt Paving) Foreman/Superintendent/Manager 70-80 were slow time, granted seasonal but it doesn’t really even out in the Mid Atlantic region as you don’t lose that much time to ‘winter’, in my own Delivery Business (100%) one works when they can, I PREFERRED long distance in lieu of local dedicated routes, worked like a trucker but didn’t have all those regulations. However, I did know when to stop and what my limitations were PRIOR accepting the job. Even today, I keep my hand in it and run about 25 hrs a week on a couple of dedicated runs and will do an occasional long distance.
I personally think the GOVT was/is trying to force truckers into teams which will, in effect, shut down the IC’s and O/O’s but think the Unions are behind a lot of that also.
Good, bad or indifferent, I don’t believe I have EVER taken a ‘vacation’ other than maybe take the family to the beach, get them settled in, come back home, work the week (or so)in ‘peace’ and pick them up at the end.
Mind you, I am not ‘complaining’ I actually enjoy what I have done and am doing, some people just aren’t cut out for it BUT many more than you may think do the 60-80 hr weeks.