Managers feel the pinch
Page 6
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• Transport managers are the lowest paid executives in Britain's road haulage and distribution companies, according to a report out this week from Commercial Motor's parent company Reed Business Publishing.
They earn £14,517 a year on average, which is 35% less than the average annual salary of 219,589 for a commercial manager, the distribution and haulage industry's best-paid post. Transport managers even earn £1,000 less than workshop bosses. The second-best paid job in the business is in sales and marketing where managers pull in an average of £18,978 per annum.
The average managerial salary in the industry is £15,870, though this figure is often boosted by perks. The survey shows that almost two thirds of managers get a company car (64%), while a further 15% receive a car allowance. Other benefits such as contributory pensions (61%), and performance-related bonus schemes (39%) are popular.
Managers in transport companies in Wales are the lowest paid in the country. The average salary in Wales is £13,835, some 13% below the national average.
Predictably, the highest salaries in the industry are paid to managers in the Greater London area, where the average is £18,718, more than 18% above the national average.
The study gives one clue as to why the pay in Greater London is so high; transport managers are loathe to move to jobs in the capital. When asked: "Which regions of the country would you consider moving to in order to take up a new job?" only 19% of respondents prepared to move said they would move into the London area. Only Northern Ireland (5%) proved less popular as an alternative job location.
Most popular was the South West. Almost two thirds of those surveyed said they would be prepared to move to the South West for a new job.
An analysis of the figures produces a picture of the average British transport manager. He (women account for only 3% of transport managers) is aged around 42, with 18 years' experience in the industry. He has worked for 10.77 years for the same employer and has made two or three job moves during his present employment. he has worked for three different employers during his time in the industry and is directly responsible for around 24 staff.
LI The survey was undertaken earlier this year, when almost 1,542 managers in the road transport industry filled in a mailed questionnaire. In our 1
December issue we will publish results of a second, and separate, survey undertaken to discover the wage market for drivers in the industry.
Job function: Average salary Commercial £19,589 Sales marketing £18,978 Financial £18,043 Depot operations £15,875 Distribution £15,828 Warehousing £15,485 Workshop activities £14,633 Transport operations £14,517
Other function £17,265 Average salary
overall £15,870