I been reading these forums and other trucking forums about 4-5 times a week, and i saw a post about this guy saying something about its not for everybody but its a good career if you can hang in there. I dont know if this is me or not but it seems like 69% of the things i read is negative towards trucking. I dont know if these trucking forums are filled with drivers that wine like babies or just not satisfied with their job. I really want to start trucking but sometimes i question that desision about getting into the industry from reading the forums all the time, can someone shed some light on this topic please?
Whats wrong with trucking??
- Thread starter chevy454
- Start date
This I can agree with, though it would be difficult for schools to concern themselves with carriers qualification requirements, as they vary from company to company. There should be a minimum set of qualifications though before you step foot into a training school.
There is just so much that prevents this industry from attracting good potential drivers.
One big barrier is the average industry pay. With my current job, I will likely make around 70K over the course of a year (though it might not reach that with the economy in bad shape). That said, I feel that due to the job I have to do, the risks I accept for the job I do, and the overall lifestyle of the job I do, I should be able to pull in 100K or more, as a company driver.
New drivers should be able to graduate driving school, and after being properly trained, should be able to bring in at least 50K in their first full year of OTR driving, while maintaining a legal log book.
Instead a new driver will very likely make 35K or so in their first year, and that is just insane for the job we have to do. As a result, the industry attracts loads and loads of displaced and/or desperate workers who will work for just about any amount of money at the time, and very likely leave the industry within a year.
What sucks is that our low standards of hiring drivers is what results in all of us having to put up with stricter and stricter safety regulations. We have to have the Government telling us when we can and cannot drive because there are so many out there that are too stupid to use common sense when behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound machine. We all see these idiots day in and day out.
Gonna crawl off my soapbox for a little bit now, because much of this really hits a nerve with me.
This I can agree with, though it would be difficult for schools to concern themselves with carriers qualification requirements, as they vary from company to company. There should be a minimum set of qualifications though before you step foot into a training school.
There is just so much that prevents this industry from attracting good potential drivers.
One big barrier is the average industry pay. With my current job, I will likely make around 70K over the course of a year (though it might not reach that with the economy in bad shape). That said, I feel that due to the job I have to do, the risks I accept for the job I do, and the overall lifestyle of the job I do, I should be able to pull in 100K or more, as a company driver.
New drivers should be able to graduate driving school, and after being properly trained, should be able to bring in at least 50K in their first full year of OTR driving, while maintaining a legal log book.
Instead a new driver will very likely make 35K or so in their first year, and that is just insane for the job we have to do. As a result, the industry attracts loads and loads of displaced and/or desperate workers who will work for just about any amount of money at the time, and very likely leave the industry within a year.
What sucks is that our low standards of hiring drivers is what results in all of us having to put up with stricter and stricter safety regulations. We have to have the Government telling us when we can and cannot drive because there are so many out there that are too stupid to use common sense when behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound machine. We all see these idiots day in and day out.
Gonna crawl off my soapbox for a little bit now, because much of this really hits a nerve with me.
But all these wannabes cut their own throats where wages are concerned by creating such a huge oversupply of applicants . Carriers know they can have people competing for $.22 a mile jobs . The oversupply gets worse every day . Freight continues to decline , drivers continue to lose jobs , and wannabes continue to fill the schools .
Exactly. I see the problem but what annoys me is I see no way to truly fix it unless we can force stricter hiring requirements and have companies make drivers more responsible for themselves.
In many ways though, what we see happening in the trucking industry has also been happening in most other fields as well for a long time.
20 years ago, a good welder could make very good money. Much of this industry has been replaced by the acceptance of average work, which resulted in the industry being overrun with workers happy to earn much lower wages (and ultimately have much less pride in their work). This is just one example.
It just seems as though most have given up and simply want to get through life, accepting whatever is thrown at them. Those who are not in this category are basically up against a brick wall because they are surrounded by people who just aren't as prideful as their parents and grandparents.
But who put them there (Wannbes) in the first place?
They're without work, they see something that might be a "Quick Fix" to their problems, but they didn't do their homework. So, they are in a job which is ruled by supply and demand. The more you got, the better your choices.
The carriers are in this game for profit. The cheaper you can get the driver, the more profit.
The training schools churn the "Prospective employees" out and then that's it for them.
This is fine, providing it is done in an equally competitive market. Problem is though, the companies that bring these drivers in on the cheap have been historically doing this because they can get money from the government for doing so, via subsidization. Suddenly, capitalism has been screwed up by government interference and the small fleets and independents are the ones left to suffer because of this.
Something else that could have been stopped if people paid attention when it first started happening, and united to stop it.
Well Bullwinkle. You have some valid observations. But when does "Pride" understand that it's not they who work, but those who employ have the control right now?
I'd dare say you are worth your pay and more. But when someone is trying to feed themselves (Much less a family) and the employer says "Work for this much or I'll get the next one in line" Then what is a worker to do?
Starve?
I'd think that yes, there should be a "Minimum" for drivers, in quality, ability and learning.
Same for employers. A "Minimum" of Pay, charges and benefits.
So what then? Bring back in regulation? The Govt? Would that benefit or hurt?
I'm kind of curious.
I wish I had an answer, but I'n not even going to pretend that I do. So many problems, so many factors, I don't see a simple solution to anything.
We are looking at problems that have been developing for decades now in an industry that is surrounded by tons of inaccurate advertising.
I can only hope this forum helps to educate potential and current drivers about the industry, and hope for things to improve from there.
Cerberus
In God We Trust
You know , one of the worst thing i have ever seen a training school do happened when i went thru driving school and saw it first hand. All of these truck driving training schools just do not care about who or what they bring in, all they want is the money. They do a half crocked credit check but that is just to see if you got the money or are able to pay. They need to do a background check of potential drivers to see if after training they will / can be hired by any given company. I watched a driver go thru, same class, pay his money, test out and get his cdl but could not get a job because of his background. Now he just wasted all that money for nothing. The TDS had no sympathy and actually the instructors mocked him behind his back for not being able to get any job. And by no job , i mean all the big companies, including the big horrible three, swift, cr england, or werner.
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