Trucking used to be a ticket to the middle class. Now it’s just another low-wage job.
Port truck drivers in New Jersey have been devastated by decades of deregulation that converted unionized employees into misclassified "independent contractors," leaving them earning roughly $28,000 annually while bearing all costs for fuel, tolls, insurance, and equipment. The Teamsters union has pushed legislation to presume drivers are employees unless companies prove otherwise, but faces opposition from the trucking industry, the governor's office, and even some drivers themselves—including organizer Edisson Villacis, who fears that reclassification would destroy the informal Latino-owned service businesses that depend on independent operators. The article explores how this shift has created an exploitative system where companies benefit from unpaid waiting time and uncompensated delays while drivers like Miguel Tigre face bankruptcy, health crises, and impossible working conditions.