my truck stop adventur

bahaha... that made me laugh really hard for some odd reason anyway i hear what your sayin about them sayin trucking isnt what it used to be and you shouldnt decide to drive. ive heard that before... but i say screw them!

 

It won't be around in it's present form. Trucking is always changing to meet the industry demand. As well as changes in the law.

Long Haul is almost a thing of the past now. Freight is being moved in stages now. To assist with HOS compliance, and to cope with logistical issues within the industry.

Trucking will never be what it used to be. Todays driver isn't willing to work that hard. Sorry guys, but the majority of you can barely cope with one log book, let alone 3 at a time.

Now...it's a job. It used to be a way of life. It used to be "fun". And it used to be a lot more dangerous. I don't miss the dangerous parts. But I do miss this good friends, and the fun we enjoyed on the road.

And while many of you new guys see dollars signs. The truth is, you're not making much more than I was in the mid 80's. If you make that much.

I still make good money, I just work less. The big money for a company driver is gone for good.

I made over $35K in 1990 and was home every weekend. The average household income was only $14,387. Many of the new drivers will be very lucky if they make that (35k) their first year.

Now I make almost $50k and the average household income was $26,352 in 2006. And companies want me to stay out 3-8 weeks at a time.

The trucking industry is changing. It turned a huge corner the last quarter of 2008.

The corner it turned? A flood of new drivers willing to work cheaper, just to have a job. Pushing wages back 3-10 years.

Sadly many of these drivers will not last the first year, for one reason or another. But the cheap wages, will take 5-10 years to recover from.

I'm seeing more and more families on the road. Husband, wife, and 1 or 2 small children. I saw a MVT with a family of 5 in it. One child looked to be in her teens. This disturbs me more than anything. The road isn't a place to raise a family.

Yes, our industry is changing....for the worse.

 

As of this pay period I made (43K) not bad for a local job home every night and weekend. When the kids are gone, and I do decide to go back OTR, a lot of things will have to change for me to make that jump again. Like better wages, treatment of drivers, better health care, better equipment. So with this wish list, I'm guessing I'll never make it back out there, as companies will not improve any of the above mentioned items.

 

Trucking is not what it used to be, but putting things on the rail takes to long. I did watch a show last night that showed putting wind mills on the water and transporting them to rail yards. I see a lot of them on trucks going out west. It might take some of the trucking freight, but in my opinion only a drop in the bucket. Trucks will always be in need.

 

Danc...................all I can say is.........

The road will never be the same..........way too many factors that are attributing to it's change. Just as you mentioned the pay aspect and I don't think it will recover............It will be 2-3 years just for the other jobs to stop flooding the market with layoffs and firings.........

In order to survive in this industry and society people have to change their life styles............

 

well... that was mighty discouraging...

 

yes it was

 

I don't mean any of it to discourage you, far from it.

I just want new guys to come into this job, informed.

The more realistic your expectations. The better chance you have at accomplishing the things you set out to do, when you take this kind of job.

I'm the "negative" guy in the mix. But it doesn't mean your experience need be negative. But it can be.

 

I choose to be negative most of the time,positive thinking people run in too many disappointments in life I don't cause I'm already expecting the worst,it can only get better.
Hehe......