Trucking News: OOIDA president breaks down why 'driver shortage is a myth

Mike

Well-Known Member
“Those that perpetuate the notion of a driver shortage ask you to believe that basic laws of supply and demand simply don’t work,” Spencer said. “They say we’ve got a shortage, but if there’s a shortage in anything, it will be reflected in the price or value of that particular service. Incomes for drivers adjusted for inflation going back to 1980 would be twice what they are right now or more if they had just kept pace with inflation.”

OOIDA president breaks down why 'driver shortage is a myth'
 
There is no shortage of truck drivers. There is a shortage of quality, qualified and capable drivers.
The media needs to make this distinction between the two!
All I ever see is articles about a driver shortage, like it is a North American wide recruiting ad. They are just fluff pieces for the writer to turn in their 500 words by morning.
Make a hundred thousand a year and see the country:rolleyes-80:

How about the title be, The trucking industry needs drivers that don't suck! Can back up, can read an atlas, can shift gears and is willing to be away from Mommy for more than 8 hours?

I will be back later to post how I really feel!:thumbsup:
 
It all looks good to some ghetto bastard working at Wendy's. I can make how much? Just for driving?:coocoo::biglaugh:And then reality hits!:foreheadslap:
Desperation does not make one a qualified driver.
Yup that's about it. They're looking at a flyer after coming off a McDonald's shift going...."wow! 45k a year!?!?"

Boom they're sucked in and hating life. Lol.
 
It all looks good to some ghetto bastard working at Wendy's. I can make how much? Just for driving?:coocoo::biglaugh:And then reality hits!:foreheadslap:
Desperation does not make one a qualified driver.
I WANTED to get into trucking. I worked my ass off to get where I am. It wasn’t a “well, what do we have to lose” act of hitting rock bottom. No criminal record making me choose a “last chance” career. No desperation forcing me to work at a mega and yank a can or reefer around.

I gave my word I’d stay 6 months at a starter company, which I kept. Then I moved to all open deck companies, it didn’t take long to realize trailers with walls suck.

Then I learned how much roll-tites suck :biglaugh:
 
I WANTED to get into trucking. I worked my ass off to get where I am. It wasn’t a “well, what do we have to lose” act of hitting rock bottom. No criminal record making me choose a “last chance” career. No desperation forcing me to work at a mega and yank a can or reefer around.

I gave my word I’d stay 6 months at a starter company, which I kept. Then I moved to all open deck companies, it didn’t take long to realize trailers with walls suck.

Then I learned how much roll-tites suck :biglaugh:
I did it because it was an easy way to get off my feet. No criminal record but lost my motivation for college long ago when I got mono and couldn't make myself go back.


Money's good, hours suck. Other jobs have good hours but the money sucks...even with college.

Nobody in my family who does it ever grew up with a burning desire to do it. My dad was in his 50s when he started. My brother in law was in his mid-30s like me.

I did almost a year and a half at my first company and now I'm finishing my 2nd at company #2.
 
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I always wanted to be a trucker from the time I was a kid. I had truck posters on my wall. Rode in my Grandfathers truck when my Uncle drove it.
I was working a union job when I decided to pursue my truck driving dream. MAN! Did I ever get a wake up call!:foreheadslap: I quit my first trucking job and went back to my union job and swore I would never drive a truck ever again! The industry sucked from my POV.
Times got tough and I needed some quick cash and I had the license to get it, I was going to quit trucking right after I got what I needed. 23 years in and I am still here.

I know I made a mistake because, I should have been a cowboy!:thumbsup: This song makes me sad for the life I could have had:D
 
I don't really know how long I'll do it. Probably just long enough to set myself up so I don't have to.

I'd like to get a nice savings built up and the vehicles paid off at the very least. After that, I don't know. Maybe I'll keep doing it but slack off. Work like 40 hours a week or something. Take them up on their four day option. Something like that.

Or get some insurance and run freight with my little truck. I'd do it tomorrow if I didn't have these expenses to meet. Maybe pick up the photography again or flip cars or something.

Live and work like I'm semi-retired with minimal bills.

Either that or keep hustling here until I've got everything paid for. If I can keep busting it I'm only about 7 years away from everything done.
 
Well, that just goes agains everything you tell to the newbies who show up here.
Except it wasn’t a mega. A 25 truck fleet is not a mega. It’s still a starter company but it’s not Warner Brothers swift prime Stevens Walmart crst cr England all the usual suspects
 
I was living on unemployment for two months and thinking life sucks because the county I lived in had basically zero decent jobs. I had tossed around the idea of truckin' since I was 19, but was always told I couldn't do that because I was too young, or I had the wrong plumbing or (the biggest one) couldn't afford the $5K for truckin' school and didn't know anyone who would train me or that there were companies that would finance training. Meanwhile, nearly 20 years later and physically unable to continue the job I had, I went to the local employment department, where I was told I could get a job and get trained by the company. So, I called Swift, put in my papers for the training and haven't looked back.

I believe I got adequate training at their academy, then got a decent road trainer. I worked for them as a company driver for a little over a year, moved on to a tiny mom n pop operation that went out of business when their bread and butter auto parts manufcturer company shut down for a strike for several months, went to Prime for almost two years, where I lost my ass and then returned to Swift as a lease-op. Two weeks from paying the truck off and getting the title, a drunk driver hit me head-on. My truck burned to the frame. Swift backed me up 100% and had no problem putting me in another truck. After the crash, I didn't want to make any immediate big changes, so I went right back to what I was doing. Nearly a year later, I found the account had lost its allure for me, so I turned the truck in (no penalties and got my escrow account back in full) and started with a private carrier where all we do is haul our own stuff. Been here for over a year and I like not having the hassle of maintenance, fuel and all the other BS attached to running a truck business.

I own a house with acreage, three cars, two motorcycles and I have time now to work on another venture that @Duck helped light the fire for, whether he realizes it or not.

February, it'll be 12 years I've been truckin'. It gets tiresome, but never boring.
 
I was living on unemployment for two months and thinking life sucks because the county I lived in had basically zero decent jobs. I had tossed around the idea of truckin' since I was 19, but was always told I couldn't do that because I was too young, or I had the wrong plumbing or (the biggest one) couldn't afford the $5K for truckin' school and didn't know anyone who would train me or that there were companies that would finance training. Meanwhile, nearly 20 years later and physically unable to continue the job I had, I went to the local employment department, where I was told I could get a job and get trained by the company. So, I called Swift, put in my papers for the training and haven't looked back.

I believe I got adequate training at their academy, then got a decent road trainer. I worked for them as a company driver for a little over a year, moved on to a tiny mom n pop operation that went out of business when their bread and butter auto parts manufcturer company shut down for a strike for several months, went to Prime for almost two years, where I lost my ass and then returned to Swift as a lease-op. Two weeks from paying the truck off and getting the title, a drunk driver hit me head-on. My truck burned to the frame. Swift backed me up 100% and had no problem putting me in another truck. After the crash, I didn't want to make any immediate big changes, so I went right back to what I was doing. Nearly a year later, I found the account had lost its allure for me, so I turned the truck in (no penalties and got my escrow account back in full) and started with a private carrier where all we do is haul our own stuff. Been here for over a year and I like not having the hassle of maintenance, fuel and all the other BS attached to running a truck business.

I own a house with acreage, three cars, two motorcycles and I have time now to work on another venture that @Duck helped light the fire for, whether he realizes it or not.

February, it'll be 12 years I've been truckin'. It gets tiresome, but never boring.
I don't understand how people have time or energy left to do other stuff. We're basically 12 hours a day, 5 days a week and sometimes more. Rarely ever less. It's non-stop all shift long. Pick from rail, drop that, hook another, drop that hook another, drop that, hook another, pretty much until you run out of time.

I usually do 4 loads with 400 miles, more loads with less miles and less loads (usually two) when I top 500 miles. In a 60mph truck.

Maybe it's the robotic hustle nature that gets to me. My last job was the same, except with more variation in hours but 6 days a week every week.

Hustling enough to get ahead of schedule also means they usually throw more loads on you instead of finishing up early.
 
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I don't run that hard anymore. I average 45-50 hours over a five day period, always have the same days off. I get paid hourly rather than by the load or mile.
 
I haven't had that balls to the wall, pushing it all the time schedule in a long while. Especially right now. The way this lane is working, I'm getting a 34 over the weekend every week - last week, I managed one in the middle of the week too. Make more money too.
 

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