Waiting weeks for truck repair

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Babey Duck, Nov 6, 2021.

  1. special-k

    special-k Road Train Member

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    Glad to see someone who isn't just repeating what they read online. There's a shortage of workers out there period. Doesn't mean every one is sitting on their butt at home. Means a lot are already employed. As much as employers cry about being short handed. Ask them if they offer flexible hours for part time and students. The answer is no an awful lot. That tells me they're not that hard up for workers.
     
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  3. Midwest Trucker

    Midwest Trucker Road Train Member

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    What neither of you must realize though is that the unemployment number only accounts for people who are looking for work. Actual employment is only 61.7% so 4 out of every 10 working age people don’t even want a job!

    So, out of every 100 working age adults, only less then 5 need or want a job. I underline want because I’d venture to say only 2 out of those 100 want a job. The rest are fine with assistance from tax payers and are only counted in the unemployment because they are showing proof of looking for work.

    Now, in industries that are tough to hire for anyway, finding a quality employee without poaching them from another company is near nonexistent. Poaching has proved even more difficult then ever through covid. People are hesitant to change what’s currently working for them in such uncertain times. Overall result, positions go unfilled and companies lower their expectations for the quality of new workers. In this case, crap mechanics. Crap drivers. Crap companies.
     
  4. bryan21384

    bryan21384 Road Train Member

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    I'm not sure where you get 61 percent. That's awfully low. It's not as easy as you think to get that assistance. There's a misconception that people are sitting around not working collecting welfare. That is so far from the truth. I'm sure there are some, but it ain't the majority. People are getting assistance because they don't make enough to live, or underemployed. Then they are so quick to cut it off; many of those folks get raises, and the pay doesn't change their circumstances, but they lose assistance. I had read somewhere where an economist said that job creation and the economy outgrew the number of workers.....that makes more sense to me than saying, "folks don't want to work." Higher population, more commerce, and higher demand for goods I can see how that could cause this problem.

    "Now, in industries that are tough to hire for anyway, finding a quality employee without poaching them from another company is near nonexistent"

    That line I like, and that furthers the narrative of a worker shortage. Workers have more leverage and mobility than ever, and if a job isn't making the pay and benefits package worth it, they will have a NOW HIRING sign visible til the end of time.
     
  5. skallagrime

    skallagrime Road Train Member

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    The exact number doesnt seem quite spot on, but its not far off, combining unemployment % with employment %, its only 63.4% of working age people have or are looking for a job

    "United States Employment Rate
    In United States, the employment rate measures the number of people who have a job as a percentage of the working age population."

    United States Employment Rate | 2021 Data | 2022 Forecast | 1948-2020 Historical.
     
  6. bryan21384

    bryan21384 Road Train Member

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    Ohhhhhh....ok...... @Midwest Trucker I stand corrected. I was looking at the labor statistics site when I made mention of the 4 percent unemployment rate, but looking at it farther, maybe some folks don't want to work. I can concede that, but the numbers pointed to a myriad of other reasons why there is 63 percent workforce participation, like those going to school....the one that leapt out at me was an aging workforce. That has me rethinking my stance a little bit.
     
  7. special-k

    special-k Road Train Member

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    That 63 per cent number doesn't specify why people aren't working. There's always going to be people abusing the system. In Canada the government has upped the "baby bonus" to make it easier for stay at home mother's/dad's. Are they too lazy to work too? Obviously there is welfare mom's/dad's that abuse the system. But they abused it before covid. Most of the people l see that are using covid as an excuse not to work were abusing the system and not working before. Not saying it's right and l would love to see workfair to force the abusers off the system too. To just make blanket statements saying it's all from covid relief policies is just as wrong.
     
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  8. Eldiablo

    Eldiablo Heavy Load Member

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    i think they are an “owner operator”. If so act like one and rent a truck and deliver the load. If I’m wrong and you really are a company driver the fill out some apps and get a real job not a 1099 crap one.
     
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  9. Kyle G.

    Kyle G. Road Train Member

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    Regardless, the comment I made about people not wanting to work was really just an offhanded opinion and ultimately doesn’t have any bearing on the subject of this thread. So no need to debate it here. The main point I was getting at is that repair shops, and many other businesses, are lacking competent workers, and that could be why the OP had so many problems getting his truck fixed right the first time. We can all agree on that, yes?
     
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  10. bryan21384

    bryan21384 Road Train Member

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    I inadvertently got off topic and hijacked your thread my apologies. I used to work for 1099 companies. I had a similar situation but the load ended up being recovered by another driver and once emptied, the trailer was left at the customer. The truck I had was broke down and I ended up having to get a bus ticket back to Memphis. I left the truck in Beaumont, TX. You do have options though. It's a pretty good probability that the company you work for doesn't report to DAC so if you decide to go home, you may be ok....that is risky. I don't see why you have to fly back to get another truck. Can you convince them to rent one from Penske or Ryder where you're at? The broker is jacking you around just as much as your company is. The broker needs to relist that load as available and pay some money, big money, to a power only driver and get that off of you. You may have to suggest that in those exact terms. Sometimes you gotta go into business for yourself and see what can be done without your company knowing. I've had to do that a few times....I even got paid under the table by a broker once because the guy I was driving for mismanaged a situation. They need to be ok with taking that L at this point. They will find a truck if they put some money on it. If they find a truck, let the company fly you back and then quit.....as for that 2000 dollar escrow, that money is as good as gone. Chalk it up to the game and find a better gig, also, while you're sitting there, line up another job.
     
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  11. Babey Duck

    Babey Duck Bobtail Member

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    Yeah, everything you you said here was spot on.
    That's my interpretation of this situation. They want to starve me out of that escrow. As for DAC report, I wonder if there is a way for me to check if this company does report to them. I went to the DAC site, got my own report, but is there an option to get this company's report too? I checked the FMCSA website, and all I could find was their safety rating, which they had 45 of 170 trucks put out of service in the past two years. They actually didn't have that many trucks two years ago, so I cannot rely much on that number to determine on paper if they have a history of this, but I can determine from former co workers that they do in anecdotal experience.
     
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