USA TODAY International Edition
Rigged system rips off truckers at Calif. ports
Many U. S. consumers care deeply about the way their products are made. Some insist on buying American; others press corporations for codes of conduct that forbid foreign sweatshops.
But what many might not know is that some highly deplorable conditions exist right here in America, in the transport of goods rather than their manufacture.
A huge volume of the nation’s imports arrive by container ship in Southern California, where short- haul truckers take the goods to nearby rail yards or storage depots, a key step in the journey to some of the leading retail stores. A year- long investigation by the USA TODAY Network found that a good chunk of the port trucking industry relies heavily on a modern- day form of indentured servitude.
The abuse starts when a trucking company pressures its drivers to sign lease- to- own contracts on their tractor- trailer rigs. Often, these drivers speak little English and do not understand what they are getting into.
Once under contract and in debt, these drivers are at the mercy of the companies they’ve signed on with. The truckers can work days on end without making enough to cover expenses the companies charge them. If they complain, they are fired or given less profitable routes.
This exploitation proceeds — until a driver gets sick or has expensive repair bills. Those who can’t make their payments lose their rig, and with it any equity they might have built up over several years of slaving away.
Network reporter Brett Murphy documented hundreds of cases like this at Los Angeles ports since 2010, including more than 120 instances in which drivers said they worked 12 to 20 hours at a time, in violation of federal highway safety laws.
Although California lawmakers have shown considerable concern for the plight of the drivers, they are hamstrung by a legal loop- hole. Federal law has numerous workplace protections, but only for employees. Trucking companies at the Port of Los Angeles classify their drivers, often incorrectly, as independent contractors rather than employees.
If drivers are being paid less than minimum wage or are working well beyond 40 hours a week, something has gone very wrong. The outrageous situation at California’s ports cries out for federal legislation that turns contractors into employees, if and when significant abuse is found. It also cries out for prosecutors to go after instances when truckers are pressured to file false records on the number of hours they worked.
The industry points to a study stating that drivers like being independent contractors. But the study is commissioned by the industry, uses data not available to outsiders, and includes long- haul drivers as well as the port truckers who are the subject of so much abuse.
The USA TODAY Network investigation makes a compelling case for reform. As American consumers learn more about how goods are getting to their favorite stores, they, too, will want change. Image- conscious retailers should also demand action. In 21st century America, no workers should be treated like 19th century sharecroppers.