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Just curious.
Originally Posted by LightsChromeHorsepower
Does anyone here draw any connection between the demise of the Teamsters Union in the trucking industry and the current low wages enjoyed by drivers?Just curious.
I am not sure that I would agree with you that driver wages are low. Truck drivers are among the highest paid career paths you can do without having the benefit of a college degree. Some mistakenly take the starting wages as something that is permanent. If you look as some of the union positions that require an apprenticeship, they don't start at top wages, either. I think the Teamsters fell on their own accord, with a little help from the federal government. Things began to change in this business when rates were deregulated and the threshold for entry was lowered where anyone with a few hundred dollars could get their authority. The real problem may just be in the quality of drivers and their lack of commitment to their company. When you only stay with a company for a few weeks or months you can't realistically expect to earn top wages. There is little reason for any employer to pay high wages to a driver who lacks any commitment to them. You can find higher wages for those who are willing to stick with it and do their best. In some ways, we were better off in the days of the real outlaws and regulation. Those who consider themselves outlaws today, have no idea of what it meant a few decades ago. We were not looked at so much as a cash cow that can be tapped any time there is a budget shortfall. But that is another subject.