Working Families

The port truckers of Los Angeles and Long Beach are a vital link in the global supply chain, yet they exist in a quasi-underground economy. By reforming the failing port trucking system, we can help make the American dream a reality for thousands of drivers and their families.

Port Truck Drivers Are Stuck in Neutral

Massive consolidation among retailers and ocean carriers has yielded a dramatic shift in bargaining power away from trucking companies. Even below the trucking companies are the drivers, who are "at the bottom of the 'food chain.'" A broken, fragmented market - and a lack of meaningful Port oversight - creates a situation where under-resourced, exploitative motor carriers achieve profits only by paying drivers rates so low that they are unable to maintain their trucks or support their families.

• Sweatshop on Wheels: An industry observer noted that port drivers "could make more money flipping hamburgers" while another observed these jobs are "pursued only by the economically desperate." Academic studies show drivers average as little as $9.50 an hour, and many make significantly less. Ninety five percent receive no retirement benefits and only ten percent have health insurance.
• Hours on Hold: Truckers work over 11 hours a day on average, and many work 14 hours or more. As they are paid by the load, their work is not appropriately compensated, including the 50% of their time spent waiting just to transfer loads.
• Health and Highway Hazard: In addition to bearing the brunt of the pollution-related health impact, drivers receive little safety training and have higher than average accident rates. Nearly half of drivers said they were given an unsafe load in the previous 30 days.
• Taxing on Drivers: With drivers misclassified as independent contractors instead of employees, trucking companies fail to pay appropriate taxes, including social security, medicare and workers' compensation. These essential safety nets are then denied to drivers when they are needed most.

Making the American Dream a Reality

The Ports can improve the lives of drivers and their families by setting workplace standards that every trucking company must meet. With real standards and meaningful oversight, the Ports can move an entire industry out of the shadows, transforming an underground economy into a legitimate one.

• Good Jobs & Better Lives: Under the current system, with 80% of drivers wrongly classified as independent contractors, it is illegal for them to form a union to advocate for a better life. The new system will restore this basic right, give drivers a chance to earn a middle-class living and let motor carriers compete on the basis of quality service instead of low wages.
• Healthy Communities: A recent study found Los Angeles "the most economically segregated region in the country" and argued that the disappearance of stable middleclass jobs was a key culprit. By improving the jobs of struggling drivers, we will benefit the communities they come from and help rebuild the middle class.
• A Nation of Immigrants: Nearly 90% of drivers are immigrants, who are particularly vulnerable to abuse. The Census Bureau found that Los Angeles leads the nation in exploitative "non-employment" relations (such as independent contractor status) imposed on these immigrant workers. By correcting drivers' employment status, we restore the promise of a fair economy.