Is 1099 Really Cheaper for Motor Carriers? - public dataset
ProHRHQ, a division of North Star Group, Inc.  Data as of October 3, 2026.
Methods and data page: https://prohrhq.com/research/is-1099-really-cheaper
Paper (PDF): https://prohrhq.com/static/library/is-1099-really-cheaper.pdf
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Credit "ProHRHQ" with a link to the
methods and data page.

Source: all 5,712 live job ads on https://www.lanefinder.com/jobs and each ad's job page,
collected October 3, 2026, matched by USDOT number to FMCSA carrier records (3,437 of 3,460
carriers matched). These files are aggregate results only. Ad text, carrier names, USDOT
numbers and contact details are not included.

Pay = midpoint of each ad's stated weekly gross pay range, US dollars.
Solo company-truck ads = solo jobs excluding owner-operator ads and any ad mentioning a lease,
rental, the driver's own truck, own authority, escrow or a down payment.
Carrier groups (from each carrier's solo company-truck ads): 1099_only, W2_only, both.

market_comparison.csv  Ad counts and median weekly pay, 1099 vs W-2: all ads, solo, team,
                       solo by route, and the solo gap weighted by the 1099 route mix.
carrier_groups.csv     Carriers and ads in the matched solo sample (4,540 ads).
matching_ladder.csv    Exact matching, controls added cumulatively: 1099-only median minus
                       W-2-only median inside cells containing both groups, weighted by
                       1099 ads.
regression_ladder.csv  OLS on log weekly pay with a 1099-only indicator and categorical
                       controls added cumulatively; premium = exp(coefficient) - 1. The
                       final row carries a 95% interval from 500 bootstrap resamples of
                       carriers (seed 20261003).
same_carrier_pairs.csv Carriers posting both solo 1099 and W-2 ads. Equivalent pair = same
                       carrier, same route class, overlapping freight, weekly miles stated
                       on both and within 10%, same home-time terms. Carrier counts
                       (same / more / less) classify each carrier's pairs.
economics.csv          Dollar arithmetic at the solo W-2 median.

Controls: route; fleet size (power units, 6 bands); miles per truck (3 bands + unknown);
Census region; authority age from FMCSA add date (<3, 3-10, 10+ years); out-of-service rate
(driver + vehicle OOS inspections / inspections, 24 months, at least 5 inspections, else
"thin"); safety grade; 3-year crashes per power unit; Lanefinder preferred partner; expected
days out; home time.

Limits: advertised offers, not earnings; actual miles across carriers not measured;
equipment age not available; covers carriers advertising on Lanefinder only; not evidence
that any carrier has misclassified anyone.