Some truck drivers are paid just like any other employees, either by the hour or through an annual salary. However, many of them are paid by the mile.
In fact, some studies have shown that those who make a per-mile wage tend to make more than those who make an hourly wage. They can also count up exactly what they’re making as they work. If they earn 30 cents per mile, for instance, they can check their odometer every hour to see how much they’ve accumulated for the day. This is an interesting way to motivate drivers and put them in charge of their earnings, and it also means they are purely paid for being productive.
There is a problem, though: Drivers who know that the only way to earn more money is to drive more miles may be tempted to engage in unsafe practices to do it. For instance, if a driver breaks the speed limit, he or she may add 10 miles per hour. At 50 cents per hour, that would add $5 to that hour’s earnings. How many workers wouldn’t want to make a few dollars per hour more than they normally do?
Another issue is that drivers may be tempted to lie about how many hours they work. Those hours are regulated to ensure that they get enough sleep, but doctoring the books could give them more time to drive and more miles to cover in a week. They’re not technically allowed to do it, but will they be tempted?
If you tie earnings to risky behavior, you’re bound to see that risky behavior. This leads to accidents. Those who get injured in these truck accidents must know what legal rights they have to compensation.