Long hours, low pay and older men. That’s the profile of Canadian truck drivers and their work patterns, according to Statistics Canada.
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In a 1999 article in the agency’s quarterly journal, Perspectives, Irwin Bess, an analyst in Statistics Canada’s trucking group, compiled information from a variety of sources to form a profile of Canada’s truck drivers.
He found that more men were working as truck drivers in Canada in 1996 than in any other occupation in the trades-labor category – which includes construction workers, material handlers, janitors, farmers, salesmen, and retail sales workers. By 1998, the agency counted 230,000 men driving trucks for a living.
“[Truck driving] is one of the largest occupations for men,” said Bess, adding that is not surprising considering Canada’s geography and trade routes. “The large spaces in Canada and goods moving east-west and north-south, coupled with the increase in cross-border trade, have increased the number of truck drivers.”
For the full story, see the Aug. 7 print edition of Transport Topics. .
