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Li Runlan, a truck driver from Zhangjiakou, Hebei, is very active on the short video platform and has 2.7 million followers.

According to the data of the Ministry of Transport in 2023, there are more than 17 million truck drivers in the country, completing 73% of the commercial freight volume in the whole society. For this group, what is their basic situation and income status? What has the digital freight platform brought to them in recent years? What changes and characteristics have the new truck drivers shown? The China Employment and People's Livelihood Research Institute of Renmin University of China recently released the "Research Report on Employment and Income of Drivers on Digital Freight Platforms", disclosing the research results of related topics.

The report team obtained a total of 5,252 valid samples of truck drivers through WeChat channels and Yunmanman and Shengsheng platforms. They also conducted face-to-face interviews with platforms, cargo owners and truck drivers. The report shows that the truck driver group is mainly young and middle-aged men, and there is a significant occupational gender segregation. The overall labor intensity of truck drivers is relatively high. More than half of the drivers drive for more than 8 hours a day, and some drivers drive for more than 12 hours, and they rarely take the initiative to rest.

Truck drivers have a relatively high income level among blue-collar jobs, with average monthly net income ranging from 8,000 to 12,000 yuan. In addition, truck drivers are generally more likely to use digital freight platforms, with nearly half of drivers getting more than 90% of their orders through the platforms.

It is worth noting that the reporting team further analyzed truck drivers who have been in the industry for two years and found that the proportion of women and those with higher education is increasing. Many people have switched careers from individual business owners, "white-collar" jobs, couriers, food deliverymen, and online car-hailing drivers. More than half of the novice drivers choose to drive new energy trucks.

Digital freight platforms are changing the way the traditional freight logistics industry operates, driving the industry towards a more modern, digital and intelligent direction. The report recommends optimizing the resource allocation mechanism of platform technology, continuing to pay attention to the labor income and rights protection of truck drivers, and building driver communities to promote experience exchange and mutual assistance among drivers.

　Among truck drivers with 2 years of experience or less, 2.63% are women.

In terms of age structure, the report shows that truck drivers are mainly young and middle-aged. The age of drivers is mainly concentrated in the range of 30 to 49 years old, accounting for nearly 80% of the total number, or 79.89%. Drivers in this age group usually have rich driving experience and more abundant energy and physical strength.

From the perspective of gender structure, the report points out that truck drivers are mainly male, with a relatively low proportion of females, and there is a significant gender difference. Among them, males account for 99.03%. For a long time, freight work has been regarded as a male-dominated field of work. The society generally believes that women are not suitable for such work that requires long-term travel on the road and has a certain degree of labor and technical operations. This occupational gender cognition isolation may hinder women from entering the freight logistics industry.

It is worth noting that through further analysis, the proportion of female truck drivers with 2 years of experience or less has increased significantly, from 0.97% to 2.63%. The report believes that this shows that more female drivers are beginning to get involved in the freight logistics industry. This change is likely due to the rise of digital freight platforms in recent years, which has lowered the threshold for women to work as truck drivers.

　Truck driver profession becomes more attractive to people with higher education

In terms of education level, truck drivers are not well educated overall. The report shows that drivers with junior high school education dominate, accounting for 51.07%, followed by drivers with high school and vocational high school education, accounting for 35.0%. The report points out that the profession of truck driver focuses on practical operation ability, work experience and understanding of the logistics industry, while the requirements for education level are relatively loose.

However, if the sample is limited to those who have been engaged in freight transportation for 2 years or less, the education level of truck drivers has improved significantly in recent years. The proportion of drivers with college and bachelor's degrees or above has increased from 10.14% of the overall sample to 19.85%. The report pointed out that this reflects that the occupation of truck driver has become more attractive to people with higher education.

The average monthly net income is 12,000 yuan, with large differences among drivers

In terms of income, the report shows that after excluding costs such as oil (electricity, gas), highway tolls, insurance, maintenance and platform information technology service fees, the average monthly net income of truck drivers is 12,063 yuan, and the main income range is concentrated between 8,000 and 12,000 yuan, accounting for 37.17%; the number of drivers with a monthly net income of more than 20,000 yuan is relatively small (accounting for 8.37%).

The report pointed out that there are large differences in net income among drivers, and this income gap may be related to factors such as the individual's years of experience, experience and skills, vehicle type length, transportation efficiency and working hours.

According to the type of transportation, inter-provincial long-distance transport drivers have the highest monthly net income, with an average net income of 13,555 yuan, followed by inter-city mid-distance transport drivers and same-city or short-distance drivers, with average net incomes of 11,084 yuan and 9,522 yuan respectively.

Classified according to the degree of use of the digital freight platform, the average actual monthly income of drivers who use the platform to a high degree is slightly higher than that of drivers who use the platform to a low degree, which are 12,230 yuan and 11,857 yuan respectively. The report believes that this further proves the role of the platform in supplementing and boosting drivers' income.

Most drivers believe that using freight platforms can increase their income

In general, the report analysis points out that factors such as driver age, education level, vehicle purchase method, vehicle type, transportation distance, transportation mileage, working hours, and the degree of platform use have a significant impact on the income of truck drivers. For example, drivers who use loans to purchase vehicles have higher incomes. Because they are burdened with monthly repayment pressure, they have a stronger motivation to increase their work input to obtain more income. Drivers who drive medium and large trucks using traditional energy (such as diesel and gasoline) and have medium and long-distance transportation routes can usually obtain higher freight income due to the large cargo capacity of the vehicles and long transportation distances. At the same time, drivers with long mileage and working hours also have relatively higher monthly incomes.

In addition, having a stable supply of goods and obtaining orders on the digital freight platform has a positive impact on the driver's income. The report pointed out that most drivers believe that digital freight platforms can significantly increase their income. 49.88% of drivers believe that if they do not use digital freight platforms, their income will be reduced by more than 1,000 yuan. The intervention of the platform reduces the intermediate links in traditional vehicle-cargo matching. Drivers can directly connect with cargo owners without relying on distribution points or information departments, reducing the intermediate costs of transactions and improving the efficiency of information matching. In particular, according to the classification of transportation distance, the digital freight platform has a more obvious effect on the income of medium and short-distance drivers.

Under such influence, the report data shows that truck drivers have a high degree of subjective dependence on the platform, especially truck drivers in the same city or short distances.

　Professional backgrounds are diverse, and a considerable proportion of flexible employment personnel change careers

In terms of occupational types before entering the industry, the report shows that drivers have diverse backgrounds. The highest proportion of drivers were farmers before engaging in freight transportation, accounting for 29.02%. Individual business owners, industrial workers (blue-collar workers), those without fixed jobs, and construction workers also account for a relatively large proportion of occupational backgrounds. In addition, some new types of flexible workers such as food deliverymen, couriers, online car-hailing drivers, and designated drivers have also chosen to switch to become truck drivers.

It is worth noting that when the sample is limited to drivers who have been driving trucks for 2 years or less, there have been some changes in the occupational background of truck drivers before entering the industry. For example, most of the new drivers used to work as self-employed households, accounting for 19.85%. This data reflects that in the economic recovery stage after the epidemic, they chose to change careers due to business pressure. In addition, drivers with occupational backgrounds such as farmers, construction workers, and industrial workers also account for a considerable proportion, especially some drivers used to be corporate employees (white-collar workers). For example, the reporting team interviewed Master Long, a truck driver, who worked as a fitness coach and fighting coach in Guangdong for 7 years before changing his career in 2020. At present, he mainly transports goods in Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Fujian and other places, and his monthly transportation income can be as high as about 40,000 yuan.

The report pointed out that the freight logistics industry's extensiveness and inclusiveness in absorbing employment have effectively alleviated social employment pressure after the epidemic.

Written by: Southern Metropolis Daily reporter Chen Qiuyuan from Beijing

Image source: short video account "Lanlan Trucker"