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Part of the problem of lower pay for drivers beyond the freight slump is that many companies have closed, thereby glutting the driver pool with experienced drivers. Before the recession, companies were struggling to find enough drivers to fill their trucks, so they had to offer high pay and benefits to attract good, safe drivers. With the current economy and so many drivers out of work, companies can pick and choose among applicants to find the best and save money by offering lower pay and benefits; truckers want to work.

One major carrier states that they have 50 applicants for every opening.

In a recent study by the National Transportation Institute (NTI) it was found that truck drivers' pay has been cut by approximately one-third of companies to trim their expenses during the extended freight slump due to the economy. NTI's survey found that 38% of van fleets, 37% of refrigerated fleets and 28% of flatbed fleets reduced pay in the past 12 months. To find the median average pay of drivers, the NTI uses statistics from drivers with three or more year's experience who are just starting with a new company.

While the current study focuses on the last year, pay cuts actually started in 2007 with flatbedders being the first drivers whose pay had been cut due to the slackening of the housing/construction market as this was a precursor to the recession; dry van and reefer pullers soon followed. Total driver pay cuts since 2007 are 9.4%.

The average pay cuts were approximately 2.6 cents per mile for drivers starting with a new carrier with the study breaking it down to an average of 2.7 cents a mile for van drivers, 2.3 cents a mile for refrigerated and 2.9 cents for flatbed. The national average pay for van drivers was 35.2 cents a mile at the end of the second quarter this year, a drop of 1.9 cents a mile from a year earlier. Average pay for drivers at refrigerated carriers declined by 1.2 cents a mile to 34.1 cents, and flatbed drivers' pay dropped to 37 cents from 38.9.

About one-third of carriers who provide truck load services have cut their driver's pay over the last 12 months. The study states that "Based on driving an average of 120,000 miles a year, a driver who switched to a new carrier took a pay cut of about $3,120 but still earned more than $42,000 a year." This though may take into account mileage averages 2006-2007, not 2008-2009 as yearly mileage averages have fallen industry wide.

Another trend seen being used to cut expenses for carriers is in the holding off on providing benefits for pre-existing conditions in health care for up to 12 months. This is shown as being used by 16% of companies up 3 times the average of companies doing so in 2007. These entry level plans can also cut into a driver's pay from $18.00-35.00 per week.

Companies are struggling to stay afloat and are trimming everything from, as we have seen from the NTI study, driver's pay to not buying new equipment. Experienced drivers are not the only ones facing pay cuts. The average starting pay for entry level drivers (students/rookies) has been reported as being .21 cents per mile. Many companies who once paid longevity and safety bonuses are no longer offering them or are not offering pay increases as they once did.

With the prices of everything else going up and with pay and miles going down, all we truckers can do is tighten our belts and ride it out. The recession cannot last forever and trucks and truck drivers will always be needed. The trucking industry has survived other economic disasters and will this one too; it's just going to be a bumpy ride.