WASHINGTON – In what might be the most ironic economic twist of the year, truck driver wages have slowed to a near crawl, growing only 0.9% year-to-date, the smallest increase seen in years. Naturally, drivers aren’t just worried, they’re forming unions demanding “overtime pay for laughing” at pay stubs.
According to a new ATRI report, after wage increases of 10.8% in 2021 and 15.5% in 2022, pay hikes dwindled to 7.6% in 2023 and just 2.4% in 2024, sinking to a mere 0.9% in early 2025. Despite high fuel and maintenance costs, carrier profits have tanked, with trucking margins near zero.
In response, a group of veteran OTR drivers staged a sit-in at D.C.’s Beltway rest area. Their chant? “If we’re not laughing to the bank, we deserve overtime for giggles!”
“I spent decades carrying freight, now I’m carrying the emotional burden of my paycheck,” said one driver, while another added, “I’ll accept 0.5% and a side of sarcasm.”
A union leader better described the situation: “We have to laugh at our own absurdity, so we want to be paid for it.”
Further complicating matters, smaller carriers saw wage stagnation while benefits costs rose 4.8%, meaning drivers are paying more just to get less. One carrier advertised a job posting offering “competitive wage… we mean wage” with a free snack bag only for anyone who laughs at 80% of its jokes.
Meanwhile, joke regulations have popped up. A proposed HF-2312 bill suggests paying drivers $20 per stand-up set at weigh stations. “Even our punchlines age better than our pay,” quipped one hopeful comic-trucker.
By midday, traffic through D.C. slowed, not due to roadwork, but because drivers were performing live comedy routines as part of a “mile-high open mic.”
An FMCSA official observed, “Better to laugh than cry, but we can’t increase wages based on comedy yet.” Still, he admitted the event “highlighted morale issues.”
Industry analysts weighed in: “This wage stagnation might last until freight demand picks up or autonomous trucks take over, whichever cracks first.”
“I’ll know we fixed wages when my bank account stops auto-correcting to negative balance,” joked a driver post-routine.
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