Motor Carrier Effectiveness: Feedback Report January 2005

Details

• Creators:
  Delery, John E. ; Gupta, Nina
• Corporate Creators:
  University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Deregulation Highway Transportation Motor Carriers Trucking Truck Lines
• Publication/ Report Number:
  MBTC 1086
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Arkansas
• Edition:
  Feedback report; Jan. 2005.
• Corporate Publisher:
  Mack-Blackwell National Rural Transportation Study Center (U.S.)
• NTL Classification:
  NTL-FREIGHT-Freight Planning and Policy ; NTL-FREIGHT-Trucking Industry
• Abstract:
  • Questionnaire data were obtained from 326 top managers of large trucking companies; these data were supplemented with information from the TTS Blue Book of Trucking Companies and the SAFER database.
  
  • Fifty-six percent of the companies in the sample were Truckload (TL) carriers, 27% were Specialized Commodities (SC) carriers, and 17% were Less-than-Truckload (LTL) carriers.
  
  • The average length of haul was 500 miles.
  
  • On average, drivers had been with the company for 3-4 years.
  
  • More companies, particularly in the TL sector, had computers on-board the rigs than did four years ago.
  
  • Driver quit rates averaged 15% overall, and were higher among TL and SC carriers than among LTL carriers.
  
  • Driver discharge rates were lower (3% overall) than before, and were also lowest in the LTL sector.
  
  • Turnover rates were higher in this study than in our previous study.
  
  • The major reported reasons for quitting were pay and benefits, the nature of the driving job, and relationships with supervisors/dispatchers.
  
  • TL and LTL carriers showed marked differences in performance dimensions. SC carriers resembled TL carriers more often than they did LTL carriers.
  
  • LTL carriers showed better performance on TTS Blue Book dimensions than did TL or SC carriers.
  
  • Most companies reported being better than they were four years ago; this assessment was not supported by TTS Blue Book information.
  
  • Drivers were paid an average of $37,000/year, and pay and benefits were generally better in LTL companies than in TL companies.
  
  • Seniority, performance, and safety were significant considerations in determining driver pay.
  
  • Compensation innovations are rare in the trucking industry.
  
  • Drivers were recruited most often through walk-in applications, newspaper advertisements, and employee referrals.
  
  • Companies hired about one of every four driver applicants.
  
  • Drug tests, reference checks, background checks, and medical examinations, were the most commonly used selection techniques.
  
  • Previous driving record was the most significant criterion for hiring drivers.
  
  • Driver training was most likely to focus on safety issues.
  
  • LTL companies were more likely to be unionized
  
  • Unionized companies experienced few strikes, lockouts, or unfair labor practice charges.
  
  • Unionized companies were larger, had better pay and benefits for drivers, and better financial performance overall.
  
  • Focus on compensation and benefits, performance appraisals, and staffing issues is recommended to improve driver recruiting and retention.
  
  
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:4e70ff2bd437af402e6fbf3883a500b8f4bdcac73e91e3bfeb23f303804626cb
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/16196/dot_16196_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 156.40 KB ]