I don’t think drivers are poorly paid when you look at the overall yearly earnings not the hourly rate. Most job now are in the 40-50k/year bracket, for doing a job that you can mostly gain the qualification in in a week.(Yes Karens, I know your alway learning on this job). My overhead line tickets on the railway took me 2 years training to get to that level, and then a ■■■■ site more recert criteria than 35 hours in a classroom every 5 years.
BUT for that earnings we’re doing 1.5 times the hours of most other comparable jobs, so the hourly rate at the end looks bad. The construction ones above are mid 40k a year on a 40 hour week, been there and done it and hated every minute of it.
Rates are never going to change for a multitude of reasons including:
the race to the bottom by most companies in regards to what they charge the customer
The constant influx of drivers believing the carp that theres a shortage and loads to be earned, there will just be constant cycle of hauliers moaning about lack of drivers, rates go up for 6 months, influx of green drivers, rates drop back. Its been happening for years, and will continue to happen.
They’ll never change the hours rules to limit what we can work to the same as a ‘normal’ job, as that would increase costs needing 3 drivers for every current 2 to complete the same work, never mind extra trucks and trailers. The knock on would be that the rates wouldn’t go up either to compensate for the drop in hours for the same reason. Just look how diluted the 48 hour week rules became with POA.
Personally, I’m very happy where I am and what I’m paid, yes more would be nice, but I’m not chased or majorly watched, the kits well speced and maintained, the plannings not too bad and the hours are decent most of the time. But of anything changed I would just look elsewhere or get out of it altogether (did that on the railway, construction, and farming). Nobody forces anyone to do any job, people just need to grow some and vote with their feet.
