Wall Street Journal reporters ROBBIE WHELAN and BRIAN BASKIN reporting on the survey this month, write that after years of spending long hours behind the wheel without seeing paychecks grow, U.S. truck drivers now have employers fighting for their services.
According to the Journal, average pay is up 17% in less than two years, as freight haulers fight to meet hiring needs. Annual pay climbed to a record $57,000 in 2015.
The Journal reports that drivers are in demand in the shifting $700 billion trucking industry. Business is booming because the economy is expanding and the strong dollar is increasing demand for imported goods that must be transported from ports to cities and towns nationwide, though growth has cooled recently.
Higher trucker pay is being passed along to retailers, grocers and other shippers, the Journal reports.