What to do about the driver shortage?

Why is it that the question always is "how to treat drivers"? As if drivers are not regular people. People who want to work productively, efficiently and, certainly, get paid well..... and then go home and have a LIFE.

I've not done research (in any scientifically valid way), but I will bet a cookie that the way the modern OTR model has evolved to "1 day home for every 10 out" is at the core of the retention problem in this industry. Or 15 hour days for local drivers, go home, rinse and repeat. Neither is compatible with any sort of normal LIFE.

Have the CEO ride with a driver for two weeks without coming off the road, and maybe the nickel will drop.

 

That mindset is a major part of the problem. These carriers want big results but don't want to make big changes in order to achieve those results.

 

The more you pay me,
The more bull crap I can put up with.
Pay me enough and I'll put up with everything that comes with the job.
Most companies don't pay enough to put up with the crap.
There's your answer.
It applies to every one of us.

 

I am looking for comfort and money. I came back to my employer, becouse they let me use their truck as pv and found me a secured lot for the trailer. I work from 4 am to 3 and weekends offs. This is a mega carrier and I cant imagine going anywhere else

 

Too many rules and policies. Policies have no room for compromise. Everyone’s trying to cover their own ###. Willing to do whatever it takes to avoid the consequences of their mistakes. It’s ruined most Businesses. Employees, Customers suffer. It’s all designed to run on its Own, by far removed Executives. Looks good on paper, but unrealistic. It’s run amok in almost all Businesses. You want to keep employees? Pay well, and treat them like an equal. Works both ways. It’s no wonder people are tired of it all. My wife and I discuss past Jobs, and all the BS they come up with. People aren’t stupid. Education doesn’t make anyone smarter. It’s especially bothersome as one gets older, and the Management gets younger. It’s very insulting to be put through a bunch of dumb questions or tests by someone who’s following procedure. Usually isn’t qualified for their own job. They don’t need to be. Just follow the rules. Seems to be what most employers want. I think that pool is shrinking fast.

 

I’ve fired customers before, do it again in a heartbeat too. Quickest way to have that happen is be disrespectful to my my drivers, or tie my trucks up for no reason. Where would you get the idea that a small company would put up with the #### Megas do? You couldn’t be more wrong. I don’t have to for a start. When they call here the owner answers the phone, when I call there it’s not very often I don’t get the owner, president or a vice-president on the phone right away. If there is a problem it gets dealt with pretty quick, either my truck is up the road in reasonable time or I’m invoicing something. Megas have a completely different customer base than I do. I don’t want theirs. I deal with smaller companies, neither one of us have the time for the bs that goes on between Megas and their customers. One of the things my customers like is when they have freight going they have a 1 in 7 chance it’ll be me that shows up for it. It doesn’t matter what you’re talking about. Once you have too many people involved you get nothing but chaos.

 

Old thread but here are my two cents

NOTHING

There's absolutely nothing companies can or should do WITHOUT DRAMATICALLY ALTERING THEIR BUDGET.

This reminds me of a non trucking job I had years ago. They flipped my department's schedule upside down. People started quitting, putting in for transfers to other departments etc... Management called everyone in for a meeting. They wanted to know what was going on and what they could do to fix it. BUT... They made it known from the outset that the schedule wasn't up for discussion. Nobody offered up anything.

If you're not willing to fix the problem, why ask about it?

I suppose you could do another driver appreciation event. You might not have a lot of drivers there... you know... on account of them all being busy elsewhere delivering things. But you can still take pictures of the event and email it to us in the next company newsletter. That'll give us something to look at while we're waiting six hours to get unloaded

 

Y'all made me start drinking early...

 

There is no driver shortage…just because companies have a retention issue and buy more equipment than they need doesn’t make it a driver shortage

 

I left my last 2 jobs (in part) because dispatch apparently were mostly recent college grads (or equivalent)...& were dispatching loads more like I was delivering pizzas while driving a black TransAm.

I just got sick of all that drama.

The remainder were obvious & blatant respect issues. We're not robots, or diseased animals.

Beyond the money issue--trucking companies expect us to be professionals--yet don't give us a professional environment in which to work.

--Lual