The Impact Analysis of Economic Factors on Job Satisfaction Levels of Self-Employed Container Truck Drivers: A Case Study in Shanghai, China

The dilemma between the prosperity of Shanghai Port and the realistic hardships of truck drivers’ survival conditions is one of the original motivations of the researchers for conducting this study. The job satisfaction level (JSL) of a self-employed container truck driver (SCTD) is vital to the stability of the container trucking industry (CTI) in Shanghai. In contrast to most of the existing truck-related literatures involving crashes and drivers’ fatigue, this study places an emphasis on the impact of economic factors on SCTDs’JSLs. An anonymous field survey of 645 SCTDs was conducted at Waigaoqiao Port and Yangshan Port, Shanghai. Three ordered probit models were developed for the analysis of variables including the drivers’ demographic characteristics, economic factors, fatigue conditions, and their attitude and reactions to a depression of the CTI. The results show that, the demographics variables are not statistically significant to the driver’s current job satisfaction. SCTDs with higher income and less expenditure are expected to have higher JSLs. High diesel price, high Consumer Price Index (CPI) and low freight-to-distance ratio (FDR) have an explicitly negative effect on the SCTDs’ JSLs in the industry depression. Drivers who drive overtime tend to adopt aggressive reactions. The increase of diesel price and CPI, the decline of FDR expose the industry in risks and instability. Credible evidence is provided that as the dissatisfaction levels of SCTDs rise, they tend to take more practical measures which may bring about negative influences on the stability of the whole industry and even the society.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AT060 Trucking Industry Research.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Jiang, Chenming
  • Lu, Linjun
  • Lu, Jian
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2015-1-11 to 2015-1-15
• Date: 2015

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 20p
• Monograph Title: TRB 94th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Case studies; Containerization; Economic factors; Job satisfaction; Probits; Truck drivers
• Uncontrolled Terms: Self employment
• Geographic Terms: Shanghai (China)
• Subject Areas: Economics; Freight Transportation; Motor Carriers; Planning and Forecasting; I10: Economics and Administration; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01555110
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 15-0854
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 26 2015 10:03AM