Study Links Driver Pay to Safety

January 19, 2000 9:55 AM, EST

Better pay for over-the-road truck drivers leads to a better safety record, a study has concluded.

An analysis of safety statistics compiled before and after J.B Hunt Transport Services dramatically increased driver pay in 1997 found a significant decline in accidents a year later.

“We found that higher pay is associated with lower crash probability. This could be a best practices study on safety,” said Daniel Rodriguez, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute in Ann Arbor.

Rodriguez released results of the study at a Jan. 11 session of the Transportation Research Board, which held a discussion on driver pay issues.

For the full story, see the Jan. 17 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.