! I bet the insurance companies

You say nothing about your training, experience or whether you have a CDL so all we can do is guess about that and try to figure out what you are asking.

IMHO, I don't see how the insurance companies could lower their standards any more with respect to taking trainees.

IMHO, there is only an imaginary shortage of drivers created by company propaganda to fuel their driver mills.

IMHO, even with CSA weeding out the alleged bad drivers, the big companies will continue to train new drivers at twice the rate they leave the industry which is quite a feat. They will do this so there are too many drivers and they can continue to #### on them and force them into lease purchases or abuse them in any other creative way they can dream up.

Just keep in mind that if driver supply falls below demand then we would command more money. This will never happen. The CRE's, Swift's and Prime's of the world are far to well practiced in manipulating and controlling this industry.

 

What is this "shortage" you speak of? If someone told you there was a driver shotage, what they meant to tell you is the industry is having a hard time retaining drivers due to the low miles, poor pay, and less than ideal living conditions, and job/family stresses ... a result of being about 3 drivers for every load out there.

 

I won't argue whether the driver shortage is fact or fiction, but the director of my independent, state university-run CMV school tells me that the shortage is real and that trucking is one of two careers to get into now.

Views will vary between different levels of drivers, but please tell me what other career will offer me over $25000 in my first year?

 

Well, to get that $25,000 you'll have to put up with a lot, will probably end up divorcing if you're married, if you have a significant other, that will probably come to an end. you will spend $100 week eating and getting fat as you try and kill time between loads. I could go on.

A lot depends on what type of driving position you take going in, and what your expectations are. The carriers have a lot of empty trucks and they want drivers in them, but the problem is they don't want drivers in them because they have freight running out their ears, it's for a host of other reasons, none of which are beneficial to the driver, in fact they are a detriment to all the drivers in the end.

I'm not trying to discourage you, but this job is not for everyone in the best of times, but here in obamaville, it's a dog-eat-dog job out here and a lot of competition for a little freight. Bottom line is carriers are trying to cull out the non-productive drivers during these lean times leaving them with the productive drivers who don't bi##tch constantly wanting to go home.

 

No relationships; not a compulsive eater; not many bills; strong work ethic... Think I'm just what the carriers are looking for!

OTR is definitely not for family guys/gals, though.

 

From what I am seeing there are a lot of loads, depending on where you happen to be and where you want to go. That is not new. Rates are good in some areas and not so good in others. There are still people cutting rates when there is no need. I don't see that there is a true driver shortage. If there was really a shortage, you would see driver pay increase dramatically and more sign on bonuses offered. That has not happened. Part of this drivers shortage is more for PR than reality. Having a driver shortage does two things for the mega carriers. It provides them with fresh drivers to train which gives them free labor and also money from the government to pay for the driver to learn to drive.

I am not sure that CSA has had as much of an impact on drivers as it was first thought. There were some carriers who canceled owner operator contracts and terminated drivers who had too many violations and high scores. I have no doubt that those owner operators and drivers found other employment, so that may not have had any impact at the national level.

 

McDonalds Manager (qualify after 6mo pay is $32500)
Wal-Mart Dept. Manager
Any construction laborer position (triple if it's union)
Most any customer service job
Any sales job (Verizon, Sun-Belt Rentals, Rent-a-center)
Bartender
Waiter at mid level restaurant (applebees, UNOs, etc)
Janitor (school or town)
Tire Shop

To simplify a long list, ANY job making around $10.30 an hour working 50 hours a week or $12 an hour working 40 hours a week.

Honestly I can think of tons, if your getting into driving for the money and are coming in with expectations of a driver shortage increasing pay prepare to be disappointed.

 

Every newspaper I've looked at across the country shows the majority of help wanted ads being those looking for drivers which would be indicative of a shortage...