"Driver Shortage" is a MYTH!

I'm not sure I agree 100%. While it is true that newer drivers must pay their dues and earn their way into better pay and jobs and such, I think hometime is pretty competitive. At least at the companies I looked into. A driver for my company regardless of experience will get 1.5 days off for 1 week out, and be out 21 days at a time. I would enjoy more home time sure, but with this company it is the same for every driver.

 

Here's a link from the Dept of labor and stats:

http://www.bls.gov/oco/content/ocos246.stm

Truck drivers will always be needed. IMHO: As with any other job out there, it will require a good work ethic to get a good paying job and/or to keep one. If you're honest, hard working and take good care of your appearance, I don't see a problem in working your way into the higher paying jobs. This is where we are falling short in America. I grew up on a farm and everyone worked very hard. These days any job I've been on totally blows my mind at how many people simply don't want to work hard, or worse, dont think they have to work hard to get where they want to be. Just set your mind to give your best at any job you get and go from there. People are looking for people who actually work these days. You'll do fine with a good attitude and work ethic.

 

Well I think the Driver shortage is quite real, but like the experienced guys will tell ya, its been self imposed by the industry. Supply and Demand is what built this country and the Supply of people who could do this job is there, but until companies step up to the plate, the Demand will not be there.

Wish I could find the article I was reading the other day. There was some kind of conference in Atlanta held by the trucking companies to specifically discuss the driver shortage. They pretty much came to the conclusion that with conditions being equal, that drivers would need to be making a minimum of $65k per year across the board to eliminate turnover and the shortage. One of the owners agreed with that but said that the thought of paying driver's $65k a year, which doesn't seem unreasonable at all, was scary. He didn't say that financially it wasn't doable, only that it was scary.

 

There is a shortage but only because the industry is a revolving door. Drivers get their CDL and than go OTR find out they can't handle it and bail or get fired. More drivers come in, more go out. For a time the gap (shortage) is there to be filled. Than it opens again..endless cycle..

 

I personally don't think it is because the drivers find they cannot handle it.

I believe there are some this may be true for, but for the majority I believe they get fed up being treated poorly by the shippers and their own dispatchers.

 

First off, I would agree there is no driver shortage, but there is a shortage of reliable drivers/reliable employers.
As ChevyTrucks says, and Hopfrog too, it is a revolving door - plenty of guys in line to enter, but too many are leaving due to dislike of the lifestyle or lack of patience to fit in with the new career.
Secondly, you can't expect new workers to come in and enjoy the benefits of workers who have earned seniority, it simply doesn't work that way, shortage or no shortage.
Third, you have to back up and look at how it WAS before you whine about how it IS.
The industry has changed in just my short time on the road (yes, at 12 years, I consider myself 'newer' to trucking. Many my age have been out here for 25 years or more.
Companies didn't used to guarantee holiday home time.
Companies didn't used to offer, much less provide, regular home time.
In the past 5 years salaries have risen.
In the past 2 years many companies have changed from HHG miles to the more accurate 'practical' miles, which meant another 5-10% increase.
In the past 5 years freight has changed from being long distance to being shorter hauls.
In the past 5 years there have been improvements in shippers and receivers getting trucks in and out quicker (now don't go harping on this one point, I'm not stating ALL have changed, just that with JIT, there are more acceptable warehouses than there used to be).
In the past 5 years many trucking companies have negotiated with warehouses and now offer detention pay.
Trucks now often have qualcom communications, and truckers have cell phones, a long cry from having to stand in line at public pay phones to do business with dispatcher or recievers.
Time off used to be 1 day per 7 out (if you were lucky) then it improved to 1 day for 6 out, and now many are at 1 1/2 days off for every 6 or 7 days out. I just talked to Metropolitan out of PA and NJ and they give 4 days for 14 days out.

If none of that is good enough, then a new driver should reconsider the occupation, this IS the lifestyle and unless you want to be a local p&d driver in your home town, you will be expected to put in time behind the wheel, and YES, put years in behind the wheel to get better treatment, absolutley no different than what the local union would expect of a line haul driver.

 

Man I read that sentence and was not expecting a list of positive changes to follow. Its great to hear that things have actually improved over the years and leads me to believe that they will keep improving. I will be entering the business in a couple of months and hearing things like that really keeps my enthusiasm up.

 

I'd have to agree with what bb said. The driver shortage is absolutely a result of the drivers. While there has been a lot of changes in the industry, this is still the best way for someone without a college degree to make the same amount of money as a college grad and not break his/her back doing so. Additionally, if you are so inclined and capable, there are companies out there such as mine that will promote drivers into management. One of our terminals is managed by a feller who was a driver and has no formal education nor any prior management experience. This is one of the reasons I came back to work for this company back in March.

I know that it can suck out here, especially for a family man/woman. I'm personally growing tired of not having a "real life", and I'm home every weekend and occassionally a day or two thru the week. Also, I'm not married nor do I have children. I'd just like to do the things I once did before driving again; things like joining a softball team, being on a bowling league, having a weekly poker game with friends, etc. Biggest obstacle keeping me from doing that and driving a truck is the area I live in. The economy is bad in southern Illinois, which is what led me to trucking to begin with. Sure I could move, but what about my extended family that's in the area?


Sorry for the side tangent there. To get back on track, if you can have the patience to muddle through the time spent away from home, there can be tons of opportunities to advance in this industry with the right company. Good companies would rather promote from within rather than hire from outside the confines of the company as they know someone who has knowledge of the company's general policies and procedures and one who has already invested years of service will, a lot of times, make for a better manager/supervisor/whatever you wanna call it.

 

I haven't noticed any shortages of stock on the store shelves latley,so sombody must be moving that freight. Here in Laredo this afternoon I can see what seems to be a never ending parade of trucks moving freight from south of the border....sure doesn't seem to be a shortage of drivers here.

One thing I have noticed is the shortage of drivers that present themselves in a professional manner.I see drivers that look like they slept in a hollow log at some of the shippers I go to. It really doesn't take much to be polite and friendly tward others no matter where you are,but when you have a pissed off attitude,and are complaining about wait time,or those imbiciles in dispach,or any of the other things that seem to go wrong in trucking,it just makes it harder on yourself.