why is turnover so high?

Because nobody has a cue as to what is really required to be a good truck driver .
They also have no idea what is in store for them as far as being gone for months on end at times and the crappy pay that they get at the mega grinders !

 

turnover isn't high in LTL world

people start out with the low paying garbage companies and move their way up.
Heck even I switched jobs after 7 months for that very reason.

 

Trucking is a hard job many people find out they don't like it.Seemingly Endless work and low pay are probably what wake most people up to the realityof trucking.

The treatment of drivers and companies attitudes towards them
turn trucking into one of the most unrewarding occupations in the
entire galaxy.

 

Because it's as easy to get a job in trucking as it is to work at Mcdonalds.

 

Actually it is easier than getting a job at McDonald's.

 

well you work 168 hr a week ....... 3 weeks on the road all for 70k year

 

What's not to like about working two 35-hour, $10.00/hr jobs back to back and being treated like pooh while being away from your family and friends 28 days out of every month and living in an eight by eight box and being targeted by police and dodging idiot drivers and risking death every day?
And what's not to like about the health benefits of trucking? The sitting, the being trapped in a cab for 10 to 14 hours a day then sleeping in it too? The varicose veins? The obesity? The high blood pressure, cardiovascular and other stress illnesses? How about the companies that want you to "make it work"? Log it legal, driver!
WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE?
And all you need is a pulse and a DOT card and a CDL to take your seat in this elite fraternity.

 

I would say the majority quit because of time away from home and pay. It can be frustrating at times, a lot of things are out of your control but you will pay for them regardless. Right now I'm sitting because my tank wasn't cleaned, no idea why it wasn't but somebody somewhere dropped the ball. So of course my load time wasn't met which means I can't load today and the next available is noon tomorrow. Now I will get paid layover and all that but it's not as much as driving. Plus, I basically do nothing for a day and a half. I didn't cause any of this but I'm paying for it. Stuff like this happens and it sucks but it's all part of the game. I think certain people have a hard time dealing with the frustration, now add in a bad company or one that has low layover pay or none at all and you can see where people get upset.

Sitting is like the bad word for experienced truckers, everyone of us who knows this business knows that sitting means you don't make much. We all try our best to avoid it.

There are other factors too. A monkey can drive from Houston to Philly, we prove our worth when we hit that exit in Philadelphia for our delivery. All truckers have to city drive, we all have to back into places that no truck was ever supposed to go. I think DOT rules get to a lot of people as well. Some are just asinine.

I truck because it pays me well and I realistically have no boss. I do what I want when I want. It works for me.