Truck Driver Compensation and Crash Risk

Compensation methods might affect commercial drivers’ behavior and subsequently the possibility of being involved in a crash. This study investigated the relationship between various compensation strategies for commercial truck drivers and their associated risk of involvement in crashes. A nested case-control approach was adopted. Compensation data was sourced from the follow-up survey of the Commercial Driver Safety Risk Factors study. Upon a case-crash being identified, up to five consented non-crash drivers were contacted to complete a follow-up survey. The analysis employed standard logistic regression and two conditional logistic regression (CLR) models. The CLR models were stratified based on the date of the crash (reference date) and the years of commercial vehicle driving experience to control for temporal and experience-related factors that could confound the relationship between compensation methods and crash risk. To adjust for multiple comparison issues, Tukey’s tests were employed. The results indicate a significant difference in crash rate among driver compensation types. Drivers in PayPerMile-PayPerLoad are associated with a higher crash risk compared to PayPerHour, with odds ratios (ORs) of 3.512, 2.304, and 2.853, in three models, respectively (p < 0.05). Similarly, PayPerMile-PayPerTrip showed increased risk compared to PayPerHour, with ORs of 3.207, 2.260, and 2.548, respectively (p < 0.05). Tukey’s tests confirm significant differences among compensation methods, particularly between PayPerMile-PayPerLoad and PayPerHour, PayPerMile-PayPerLoad, and PayPerLoad, and within PayPerMile-PayPerLoad and PayPerMile. The study suggests a potential link between compensation methods and crash risk, highlighting the need for further research to pinpoint which compensation strategies significantly affect driving safety.