There are many different ways that people get paid in the United States. Some are paid by the hour. Some are paid on a contractual basis. Others have a salary and get the same amount of money no matter how much they work.
For many truck drivers, though not all, they are paid by the mile. They have to log every mile that they drive each day and then turn this in for compensation. This makes sense for trucking companies because it gives the drivers an incentive to be more productive and the companies only have to pay for the production that they’re actually seeing, but there is a hidden danger.
It influences drivers to take risks
The problem is that the drivers also know that the only way for them to earn more money is to cover more miles. This can lead to risky decisions.
For instance, a driver who is stuck in traffic may feel like they lost a lot of money because they only went a few miles in the last hour. It may be the equivalent of earning one or two dollars. To make up for this, they may decide to break the speed limit or drive more aggressively.
It’s hard to fault drivers in this situation because they have a budget and they need to make sure they earn as much as possible. But these types of actions are also very dangerous, and they could mean that truck drivers are at fault when they cause serious car accidents in their efforts to earn more.
If you’ve been injured in a truck accident or any type of motor vehicle accident, always make sure that you know how to seek financial compensation for medical bills and other costs.