It looks like Werner Enterprises may have found a way to deal with the driver shortage – they bought two of the largest truck driver training companies in the country. Both Roadmaster Drivers School and the American Institute of Trucking (AIT) are now wholly owned by the megacarrier.
For president and COO of Werner, Derek Leathers, the purchase of the trucking schools ensures that Werner will always have access to the top new drivers. He called the purchase “a long-term strategic investment to ensure a stable flow of highly trained student truck drivers in a time when the entire industry is facing a significant driver shortage.”
Though their acquisition of the schools was only just announced, Werner actually purchased Roadmaster in May of 2014 and AIT all the way back in August of 2013.
According to Werner, the announcement was delayed to make sure that students would still be able to choose which carrier they wanted to drive for after they completed the program – even if it wasn’t Werner. In the press release put out by Werner Enterprises, the company claims that after the purchases, the percentage of graduates placed with Werner was unchanged.
For their part, Roadmaster seems to be very happy with the acquisition. The president and CEO, John Kearney, painted it as a boon for trucking in general.
“One key effect with this acquisition is it provides us with the financial security needed to invest and expand so we can continue to provide the entire industry with safe and road-ready professional drivers,” said Kearney.
Werner echoed the selfless sentiment saying that “These investments help further Werner’s commitment to securing the success of the next generation of professional drivers for the entire trucking industry.”
Source: Werner, streetinsider, businesswire
Hahahaha I’m not a driver. I’m a mechanic and let me tell ya. These trucking companies have only one person to blame for driver shortages….THEMSELVES!! Time and time again I see drivers screwed over by trucking companies. I can’t recall how many trucks I’ve tried to fix right only to have management say “oh well the driver will just have to deal with it”. No wonder companies can’t keep GOOD drivers around.
Adam- there are no truer words than what you wrote..
drivers get mad at mechanics– yet– its the boss that has the last word… tell that driver to keep driving on them may-pops… its the driver who gets the tickets when it should be the company for equipment failures.. especially when they inspect the entire rig as it comes into most company owned terminals…
trucking —where insanity rules the day…
I’ve been embarrassed many times having to tell a driver we didn’t get the truck fixed due to managerial issues. Only one person suffers…the driver. My applause to all you guys and gals.
This is a problem that is getting worse, cheaper/faster, keep them on the road. I am lucky enough to work for a company that wants things fixed right, but I have worked for companies in that past that only cared about the short term money right now. They did not care about spending more in the future by shoddy repairs.
The owner of my company is always telling us, “Safe, reliable, cost effective, and in that order.” Safe and legal is our #1 concern, then reliability. Once those conditions are met, we work on doing that as cheap as we can. In other words, you don’t sacrifice safety or reliability to save money. Funny how we have no issue getting and keeping good drivers, while others doing the same work are always complaining of the “Driver Shortage”.
It’s good the owner of the company you drive for runs thing the right way. Things change when these good companies are sold to mega carriers inherited by relatives who only care about profits.
Oh yeah, I know the feeling…It’s been like that for over 40yrs & with Little T’s comment on government I grew up around trucks myself & it was lack of control of government w/deregulation in the late 70’s to mid 80’s that they did nothing to keep the shysters from opening up their own trucking business & making things the way it is now!!!
So true. I got tired of working for a company that didn’t care about the safety of their drivers or the ppl on the road. I’ve had everything from a leafspring break on highway and they wanted me to just tape it to a calliper and piston the broke on trailor loaded and they wanted me to keep driving. I said screw you if I’m gonna drive and take the chance to kill myself or others.
Grew up with trucks. I have both driven and spin wrenches. Driver shortage is due to upper management above dispatch and the stupid government involvement. Less government and more treatment of drivers as human the issue will resolve itself. Would I go back to driving after million miles? Hell no
Guess they bought the schools so they can buy more POS trucks that break down every week so they can have more drivers working for free and not pay them breakdown pay. Happened to me with them more than once. Thank God I own my truck now!
I worked for Roadmaster in the past and we (instructors) questioned whether Werner owned the school. Management always emphatically denied it. Well, now we know. My recommendation is stay away from Roadmaster, they are very expensive for the quality of training provided, a “license mill” pushing out unqualified (and unsafe) drivers, lack continuity between instruction methods, and now we know, management will lie (even to employees) about the industry. Maybe Werner can push out unqualified Directors of Training and standardize instruction so students are not so confused with the process.
Not a well thought out move by Werner. I bet they never thought about all the other truck driving schools that will now NOT allow Werner to recruit their graduates because WERNER is competition to their operation. The students I have set to WERNER are not with them now. The reports from the students about how they were treated was NOT good at all. I am part of a NEW affiliation of many driving schools and the latest new is that they are now going to remove WERNER from recruiting from their schools. Not a smart move WERNER. The fact also that WERNER didnt announce the buy out until now was a pretty slizzy move too. If you are new to the industry dont go the “BLUE ARROW” way.
Why would a any truck driving school now allow graduates to get a job anywhere? They got paid, so what’s the difference to them where a driver gets a job? The easier it is to find graduates a job, the better it looks for the school, so why limit it? Once a driver graduates, how is Werner competition?
I have a CDL class A double, triples, hazmat. for almost a year and a half now ,( I work as a mechanic, car mechanic) and haven’t started the truck driving career, because all I keep hearing is how bad drivers get treated and how they don’t make any money. I wish the industry changes because I would really like to start driving those amazing machines, but money is also important to survive.
The sooner you start the better. Like any job you have to put in time before you start making good money. You’ll probably have to take a refresher to get hired cuz your not a recent graduate. And most companies won’t touch you. Good luck!
If they would pay drivers more rather than buying schools, they wouldn’t have such a shortage. Or the litigation for paying below minimum wage..
All new Drivers going after their first CDL, need to save up enough Money ? just to get through the first six months of training. All the other posts indicate this. So I think it’s a good idea ? could make the industry more stable.
That’s one way to address the driver shortage issue. As far as the trucks themselves . . . management can’t do anything about how well they run or not. Companies hands are tied because they have to abide by the new emission standards set forth by our glorious govt (sarcasm) or face heavy fines. So, when one breaks down, it’s not any more the managements fault as it is the drivers. Everyone suffers. Drivers shouldn’t get mad at mechanics, and management shouldn’t get mad at drivers (unless neglect is involved).
Many carriers are going to automatic transmissions due to the fact that far too many new drivers can’t coordinate clutch foot and right foot and the gear shift. How many drivers have no clues to what a clutch brake is.?. I see and listen to these steering wheel holders jump in the truck and jam it gear , The sound makes me shudder and the truck jumps a foot then off they go oblivious to the damage they are causing due their lack of skill and knowledge of trucking.The truck goes in the shop for transmission issues. down time due to improper training. That drives up the cost of maintenance immensely.
What else I wonder can they not do when on the road you and I share with them.
As far as pay issues. You have to see this at every mega carrier. The recruiters are superior car salesmen.some of the very best. They can and will tell you what you want to hear and after you sign on the dotted line it goes away in a puff of smoke. HOWEVER. A lot of the issues new drivers are having is easily and simply fixed.
READ the drivers hand book that was given to you at orientation.
It has every thing you need to know to earn money. What you get paid for and not paid for, layover.Vacation time and pay. Advance notice for time off. How to break it down . What you get paid for layovers and down time due to maintenance issues. Motels reimbursements. Far too many do not read it. Then complain they are not making money.
I worked for a mega carrier. I got treated VERY well . respected for my abilities and as a person.
Drivers complained , not making money truck is in shop 2 weeks out of 5. I asked them why aren’t you making money?. .answer was, I am paid by the mile and not making miles.SMH
I asked if they read the drivers hand book? No. So I held class. One of many things this company paid you to do was check out the dropped empty trailers. If they needed cleaning give numbers to dispatch. Clean them out and you got $10 bucks a trailer. Do 20 trailers in a couple of hours you made $200 bucks. They paid $30 for pulling dunnage and nails off flatbeds.and you didn’t make money???? read the book, don’t be afraid to ask questions. It is not always the carriers fault .
There is no driver shortage…there may be a shortage of drivers willing to haul cheap freight or work for slave wages but high paying freight never rots or rusts on the dock.simple as that.
The driver shortage is of good safe drivers. plenty of steering wheel holders.
The is a shortage of good drivers, not a shortage of people willing to sit behind the wheel. Same goes foe mechanics, there is a shortage of real mechanics, but there’s plenty of wrench turners out there.
We call them parts changers. My husband is a mechanic and my dad a 28year mega company veteran driver. People need to be willing to WORK. It goes for ANY industry, blue collar/white collar! No one wants to work for a paycheck. There is a serious entitlement issue nationwide!
Just another “seat meat” factory. My suggestion is do your own schooling. Beg, borrow or steal, but if you go to a carrier owned or affiliated school you’ll learn the real meaning of “indentured servitude”.
I like that “seat meat” quote. .gave me a good laugh. Thank you driver.lol
Amen corky. Amen
If you are new to trucking be sure to get an X endorsement, then try and find a local fuel hauling job. You will be home at night and still make good money. 65K to 75K or better. Just retired making 100K
That’s what I did George. I was over the road for 5 years. First started out at Werner. It was dreadful I was out for two weeks and only would clear 350 a week. I have been hauling fuel for a couple years now. I will tell you that the pay and benefits are great. At least $70,000 paid holidays if I work them or not. Realistic bonuses. After the first year I got 2 weeks paid vacation at 263.76 a day 40 hrs of sick time and home every night. If I wait at the rack I get paid for that too. Much better than any OTR company.
Driver’s shortage is due to lack of pay.live in a truck for 2 weeks and make roughly 600.00 a week starting out driving tankers with big orange.got my 1 year in ,quit and its amazing how your income double,s once u work for a small company
Drivers are the company. Not all trucking companies drive a driver to the end of sanity. Melton Truck Lines cares about their drivers and we are Thankful daily.
Pay drivers more, get them home more and give them good trucks and trailers and you will not have a shortage of drivers. Problem solved.
Pay your drivers better and you won’t have such a huge turnover. All the big carriers screw their guys over every chance they get. Prime nickel and dined me to death while I was getting started and I had to fight them every time I was owed detention pay. The first chance I got I left them for a smaller carrier and could not be happier. 100 or more turnover rate is disgusting and it could easily be fixed by paying the driver a little better.
There isnt a driver shortage. It is artificially generated because while trucking companies will tell you what it costs to recruit and train/hire drivers , they will never tell you what they earn. Werner must have decided to hire alot of people to run thru the mill from overseas/south america. I dont begrudge foreign people a job here, I feel pity for them. The deals they have to make to get the training/job leave them a hostage to a grinding mechanism that really does not care if they live or die. Until they have survived the seat and paid an astronomical amount of money foreign drivers are essentially wrapped helically around an inclined plane.
It would seem to me, if the FMCSA were truly concerned with safety, that they would consider trucking companies owning or running their own schools to be some conflict of interest. A drivers initial training should be independent of a companies agendas.
OK, normally I stay out of this stuff, but I’ve got to put my two cents in here. I’m a former million mile driver, as is one of my other brothers and my younger brother drives for CRST. He started with (and was trained by) them and has been there for over four years now. He currently drives dedicated team (personally, I never had the desire to drive team but whatever floats your boat. You do get the nice long runs, for sure) and they run from CA to PA and then drop down to I-10 on way back through PHX and back up to CA each week. He makes $65,000 a year, plus profit sharing, medical, 401K, two days off a week and nothin’ but drop and hook baby. This is a company that many drivers make fun of out there on the road, but when I saw his tax return, I realized who was getting the last laugh. When I think of all the hell holes where I used to go to and pick up half broken trailers in s**tholes like Newark, in the snow, I get jealous of him.
I drove for MS Carriers mostly and boy did we complain. In retrospect, since they got bought out by Swift a long time ago, I read message boards now where drivers talk about how good it actually was and they never realized it.
As for Werner buying Roadmaster, it seems like a brilliant move on their part. After all, we’re looking at almost an 800,000 driver shortage over the next ten years, and that’s just a plain fact. Those companies that plan ahead will be way ahead of the pack. That’s why a lot of trucking co backed training programs are offering free training to Veterans which is a total win-win for all parties involved. I know Stevens Transport is one of them. They’re saying they’re going to need like three thousand drivers!
I think he’s retired now, but I can’t imagine why CL Werner would be content to put a poorly running truck back on the road. It just doesn’t make good business sense. Most of the trucks are leased for 36 months and very well maintained.
I’m not saying anybody is wrong for what they believe about the state of trucking today, because I know it is tough out there and the FMCSA and Dept’s of Transportation ain’t making it any easier. I’m just saying there are millions of CDL holders out there who like their jobs, the business offers tons of opportunity, and bottom line: if want heat from a fire, you’ve got to put some wood in…
Um… I’m was an alumni of A.I.T. with promise of lifetime free refresher coarse does that disappear now ? It’s only been 7 yrs since I graduated from there. I just found out they sold.