Desperately need OTR Drivers

When I started 12 years ago, I thought I've got experience. Did the hiring, firing and management of organizations with more than 100 people. Built organizations from scratch.

I can build a trucking company. Then I got a look at the labor pool. Nope just going to run my one truck and not worry about trying to compete for the few good drivers that are out here.

 

The experienced , qualified driver pool is shrinking . 1 Companies will try everything they can to keep them if they are good . 2 . They are retiring , the average age of a CDL A driver is 57 and not getting any younger. The crack down on legit medical cards is disqualifying many due to health issues. The younger drivers you see are mostly immigrants , some woman , not many but some and many don’t stick it out
Our society has gotten a lot softer and do not want to work hard. Although many companies have dumbed down the job with automatic trucks , GPS, drop and hook no touch freight etc. the life of a OTR truck driver is a lonely miserable job , especially if you have a family and kids.
The pay has been coming up out of pure desperation , not “ caring about our drivers” , most companies would pay minimum wage if they could put ##### in their seats. They’re are still some home every night , or a couple of nights a week that pay $100k or more (UPS parcel , car haulers etc ) . I won’t include food service because it’s slave back breaking work , I did it for many years ,it should start at $50 an hour , and it just may go to that in the future with the driver shortage , and a severe driver shortage of good drivers willing to work hard and are grateful for the opportunity.
That all being said , driving has been good to me and my family over the last 34 years . I’m. 57 and in good health and usually work 6 days a week . The whole industry has changed, it’s become a cold miserable profession. Don’t believe me , go to a truck stop and see if you see a happy face, people striking up conversations , no pretty much miserable zombies going through the motions to get through the day. . The truck stops even have to force they’re own employees to be phoney friendly “ Welcome to Loves! “ please .....You’ll never see drivers stopping to help other drivers on the road , giving bear reports on the CB , backing off to let a driver get over , flashing their lights to say Thank
You , very rare anymore. DOT and companies tracking your every move with ELD’s , taking away the freedom the job used to bring to a driver.
Not sure what the future will bring , but the pay will have to get well north of $100k a year to attract a fraction of the drivers they will need to fill seats with even remotely qualified drivers .

 

I feel your pain.

I hired a girl 1 year ago and every month I feel like I’m doing something to keep her happy to make her stay.

I recently made a TikTok and hot a bunch of interest on a new position and actually hired a guy who starts on Monday! Hoping he works out because im struggling out here!

 

I think what you're seeing really, is an indifferent society that only cares about one thing on the corporate level and that's the bottom line profit. On the labor side, you are seeing people who are largely "marking time" on the job, any job really. There was an old saying in the Soviet Union that stays with me to this day, "They pretend to pay, we pretend to work." Also, do you have any idea how difficult it is to not pick up the smart phone every 10 minutes, let alone not even touch it for hours on end if you're a CDL holder.

As for the happiness factor, I think a lot of people are just at a stage in life that thought would be behind them by now and the prospects are indeed dim for some people. This reflects on people's psyche, you can hear in the voice and see it in the face. I'm over here in the Philippines and I feel uplifted by the happiness exhibited by the people here, and a lot of them work for $7 a day, but most have a good family structure and that makes all the difference. In the USA there are lots of lonely people.

 

Let me pick.
Pay great for staying out a while
Pay fair for GOOD hometime.

find out what motivates a guy, it’s either money or time off.
I’m where I’m at because 1.) they understand if I’m not home when I should be it’s an issue.
2.)I get paid fairly, not fantastic but better then I would be working for a mega for 10years lol 3.) no ######## safety department (so far) it’s all very common sense

 

@Dave_in_AZ wields sarcasm like a ninja does a katana.

 

Why did I instantly picture Beverly Hills Ninja?

 

If i remember correctly, ninja favor a tanto or wakisazhi (?sp?) Katana more for samurai

But i could be wrong

 

Pretty sure that corporate profit appetites are the driving force of the indifferent labor force. If anything, the corporate mindset has trained the labor force that they should only value the same mercenary forces, the problem of course being that corporate refuses to increase profit in any way other than cutting costs and so theres either no room or willingness to move the pay slider in labors interest.