Truck drivers continue to campaign for a hike in per-mile pay for driving through routes in congested areas, according to a survey by Rand McNally.
The survey of 424 trucking professionals was conducted by The Litchfield Group, Marietta GA.
While 50 percent of fleet managers said trucker requests for higher pay were as common in 2004 as they were in 2003, 46 percent of the managers do not plan increases in 2005.
The survey also determined that 47 percent of managers surveyed said drivers used onboard tracking systems to warn them of possible late arrivals.
Cell phones were the most popular means of alerting managers of delivery delays (53 percent), with nine percent of respondents saying their drivers use pay phones.
Five percent of those surveyed said e-mail was used to alert them of late arrivals. (Note: Totals exceed 100 percent because the question permitted multiple responses.)
The survey also asked trucking professionals to rate the importance of services available to drivers at truck stops.
More than half (55 percent) of those responding consider secure overnight parking as the most important feature.
Maintenance and driver rest and relaxation facilities came in second and third with 12 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
Internet access was deemed the least important service by 36 percent of fleet managers, followed closely by truck and trailer wash facilities, rated as least important by 24 percent of respondents.