While nearly half of Americans have considered becoming truck drivers, most say that they would stop short of making the switch.
According to a survey of 1,000 people in the U.S. from heavy duty truck parts supplier FindItParts, roughly 45% of respondents have thought about driving a semi-truck as a career. And although nearly 80% of respondents said that they believe truck driving is a viable career choice for young people entering the workforce, less than half said that they had a positive view of truck driving as a career for themselves, with the remainder split between a neutral view at 40% and a negative view at 13%. Around 65% said that they believe truck drivers aren’t paid enough, while 55% said that time away from home represents the biggest downside to a career in trucking.
“A common thread in our findings is that the public thinks trucking is an important, valuable job, but most people aren’t willing to do it,” FindItParts said, noting that 51% of respondents said they wouldn’t be willing to quit their current job to become a truck driver, even if it paid better.
Truck driver salaries can vary depending on cities and states, ranging from an average base salary of $48,000 a year for those based out of West Virginia, to $65,000 in Alaska, but with overtimecan go higher than $200,000 per year, according to job-search website Indeed. Independent owner-operators, who make up more than 10% of American truckers, are challenged by increasing costs related to fuel and maintenance.
The average annual turnover rate for large truckload carriers between 1995 and 2017 was 94%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A separate report from fleet management software provider GeoTab also found that nearly 70% of U.S. truck drivers believe that work-related stress negatively impacts their driving, with more than a third having considered leaving their job in the past year.
