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October 13, 1999 9:12 AM, EDT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Trucking companies have shot themselves in the foot by failing to improve driver wages sooner, a consultant to the industry warned at a recent transportation conference.

“Over the past 15 years, almost all job aspects in over-the-road driving have improved — except driver income,” David Goodson said in citing a survey of 450 pay packages offered by 100 truckload carriers.

The survey is updated quarterly and published by SignPost Inc., a management and consulting firm in Hudson, Wis.

Goodson, a partner at SignPost, said drivers lost a third of their purchasing power from 1985 to 1994. He added that the situation has gone from bad to worse, with purchasing power shrinking further by one-fourth from 1995 to 1999, despite pay increases.

For the full story, see the Oct. 11 print edition of Transport Topics. .