[NovemberWhiskey]

I think you need to give the parent poster a little more credit. People have all kinds of preferences for employment that go into determining a market-clearing wage.

e.g. it is probably the case that loading garbage onto a truck doesn't require more skill/specialization than driving a car for hire

However, the overwhelmingly vast amount of people prefer to do the job that they can do while sitting down, in an air-conditioned vehicle, vs. the one they have to do surrounded by stinking detritus, outside in all weathers.

Based on my own prejudices, driving a car for hire sits in a relative sweet-spot of low skill, low physical demand, low discomfort. I agree there are undoubtedly personal safety factors that you're more exposed to than, say, flipping burgers at McDonalds.