The relationships between financial performance and driver compensation and safety outcomes in the trucking industry: a systematic review

Abstract

Heavy trucks largely contribute to road fatalities and injuries with most of the severely injured and killed being road users other than heavy truck occupants. Research has shown that the causes of truck crashes have economic roots, including high levels of competition creating economic pressure that could increase the likelihood of carriers reducing safety investments and adopting payment practices that encourage truck drivers to drive faster and longer than legally required. With a large body of research on safety policies and payment practices in the heavy trucking industry, there is a strong need to comprehensively understand the relationships between economic pressure in terms of truck company financial performance and driver compensation, and safety outcomes and the factors influencing the relationships. This paper presents a systematic review of the literature to address this important gap in the literature. The review identified 43 English-language articles published between 1988 and 2024. There is a general consensus in these articles that paying truck drivers based on the amount of work performed is associated with poorer safety outcomes than paying them based on the amount of time worked. In contrast, higher pay levels and payments for non-driving tasks positively influence safety outcomes. Regarding truck company financial performance, most of the studies reported a positive influence on safety outcomes. This review highlights the strengths and limitations of the methodologies of existing studies and proposes areas for future research.