Whats with the 1/2 cent raise b.s.

Talk, talk, talk. We don't make enough money but we don't do anything about it.

OOIDA started when two drivers drove side by side down the interstate and backed up traffic for miles. Without action nothing will change. I got offered 40 cents a mile to start at US Express. I told them no. I do not work for less then 45 cents a mile, plus benefits.

Every once in a while you see someone post this STUPID statement, "Unions drove a certain company out of business." What drives a company out of business is actually the opposite. If ABC Trucking is paying .45 pm and benefits, they bill their customers for that. Along comes Senor Express and pays, 19 cents per mile, they then charge less for the same load being shipped so ABC loses customers. ABC goes out of business and drivers all over take a step back.

Think of the price of fuel. Everyone pays the same (I know that some companies buy at different times and get discounts). The rise in fuel prices does not drive anyone out of business that has included a fuel surcharge in the shipping contract. Price of labor is the same thing. If it goes up, the cost is passed on to the customer. As long as it is cheaper for the customer to get it shipped to them whether then to go pick it up themselves, trucking will be fine.

 

Huh! Now US Express now promises "up to" 40 cents per mile and that's with years experience. The apathy is why nothing gets done and I don't see that changing. People will not come together these days unless it's to rah-rah the troops playing patriot while we bomb another country. It's a shame. I've definitely rethought my long-term game plan several times and don't think for a second that I'm not considering union (again). Haven't been associated with a union since the early nineties but I'm seriously considering a major move (driving position and relocation) down the line.

Today if two drivers got together to drive side-by-side, the cops would be notified after so many miles of this and the drivers would be ticketed for obstruction of traffic and creating a public nuisance.

 

Do you really blame the companies though??? Why would they pay me 45 to 50cpm when there are THOUSANDS of new "graduates" all across the country willing to work for peanut shells???

 

Huh! Now US Express promises "up to" 40 cents per mile and that's with years experience. The apathy is why nothing gets done and I don't see that changing. People will not come together these days unless it's to rah-rah the troops playing patriot while we bomb another country. It's a shame. I've definitely rethought my long-term game plan several times and don't think for a second that I'm not considering union (again). Haven't been associated with a union since the early nineties but I'm seriously considering a major move (driving position and relocation) down the line.

Today if two drivers got together to drive side-by-side, the cops would be notified after so many miles of this and the drivers would be ticketed for obstruction of traffic and creating a public nuisance.

 

The companies share some of the blame, too, in addition to drivers willing to work for lousy wages. Don't think for a minute when a company lowers it wage (goes backwards) it doesn't know it's wrong. Another part of the problem (and this is NOT racist in the least but a well-documented fact) is that Mexican drivers are so easily provided authority to work and drive in the country and earning 20-some cents per mile is light years above what they can earn in Mexico. This in turn drives down the wages for everyone else across the board. Florida wages suffer throughout the tourist industry because of aliens working under the table, undocumented, etc. One would think in such a heavily regulated industry such as trucking, this wouldn't be a problem.

 

OK. Where there's a will, there's a way. Go flatbed. You'll make more and stay in better shape (unless you're already loading and unloading). Or you can check with Millis Transfer. They pay much more than the usual suspects. However, I see you're in my neck of the woods so we're a bit more limited than the rest of the country which means we have to work even harder and smarter. Now, depending on how bad you want it, there are steps you can take, such as relocating. If you can't relocate you can always use a friend or relative's home address in another state. You may be surprised by how many are doing this in Florida. I considered it with Schneider but they couldn't give me what I was seeking.

I never bought into what the majority say about newbies in regard to pay and jobs but then again, at the risk of sounding egotistical, I'm not your average -anything-. When I want something in life, I go after it whole hog and with everything I've got. I was told the same thing coming (back) into the industry as you've been told but refuse to believe it. I AM a newbie since I haven't driven otr since the '80s and I didn't even drive A, I drove class B. I recall you mentioning you had some friends in the trucking industry. Exploit your connections, driver!

While I did knock on the usual doors just to kick the proverbial tires and find out what's what, I also knocked on many others. Guess what my first job is coming out of school? Tanker. How did I get it? By positioning myself above the crowd and selling myself to the company. I also had plenty of help from drivers on this forum. I sought out the drivers who are doing what I want to do .. hauling crude or gas. I made a post a few months ago detailing my approach and methodical madness ... check it out here (post #36):
http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...89408-why-i-decided-not-become-trucker-4.html