OTR trucking lacks when it comes to pensions. When equipment, fuel and other operating cost go up, its is passed on to the consumer. I believe drivers pensions should be passed on also.
Are driver value to the company less than fuel?
For those who aren't getting a pension.
Is it about time the government takes a look at mandatory rrsp contributions by companies for there employees?

 

Why should it be government function?

All you have to do is setup tax pension account and then put a portion in each time you get paid.

kc0iv

 

Evinrude,
All employers are going to defined contribution as opposed to defined benefit programs when it comes to employee retirement over and above Social Security. Even some levels of government are getting into the act.
The military has a Thrift Savings Program, it's similar to a 401k as far as tax treatment. I can see the day when that will be a military members retirement plan over and above Social Security.
Too bad unions didn't figure it out so their member's retirements were protected if an employer went out of business. But then union bosses don't look out for rank and file union members, just themselves, the honchos. BOL

 

I doubt there will be Social Security much longer. The politicians have STOLEN BILLIONS from the Social Security trust funds. It will NEVER be paid back.
The union bosses and corporate CEO's also have stolen BILLIONS from their members and employees, all to line their own pockets.
Best advice for young people, save all you can from each pay check, do not depend on the government or corporate America to provide for you and your family.

 

Since when? Costs have went up and up and freight rates have remained stagnant or declined in the last 20-30 years. It was not until recently that a portion of the increasing costs have been passed on in the form of fuel surcharges.

 

Yeah, like, what, right after Katrina blew the price of motion lotion sky high?

The company I was driving for at that time actually got shut down for a few hours because they had spent more than their allowable budget on fuel in a day, and had to do some tricky after-hours negotiating with the fuel card outfit to get the limit raised in a hurry.

Customers bitched and moaned, but they got over it.

I remember one customer who used to get a piddly 10-piece order every week. His line was "With your rates going up so much, you realize this means I'm going to have to order less often, and put more on each order, don't you?"

I wanted to tell him "Here's your sign."

But, OTOH, we survived about another 18 months after Katrina, and then they outsourced us to someone who said they could haul our freight cheaper and better than our own in-house fleet. Cheaper, due to economies of scale, because they haul furniture for lots of small distributors, instead of just one.

The 21st century sucks so far.