High Turnover on new drivers?

deleted, because something made me double post.

 

Well, there is a lot of BS to put up with.
Then again, that can be said for any job.


Russjac, it doesn't sound like you are going into this cold and green.
I think you may actually enjoy the job, as well as the lifestyle.

As for me, I have a 0400 pick up.
So I need to get some sleep.

 

turn over, many get into trucking thinking it is just driving from point a to point b at your pleasure. sorry, there is a schedule, and somebody will screw that schedule up, and you will be blamed for being late.

Trucking 101 in a nut shell.

 

Russjac besides what has already been posted its also being gone from home 3-5 weeks at a time. Yes I did post 3-5 weeks at a time. IMO pulling a reefer is probably has the most consitent miles since people need to eat. I suggest getting the hazmat endorsement. This increases your chances of getting a load out of BFE the day you unload while a driver without a hazmat endorsement might have to sit a couple of days while his/her dispatcher looks for a non hazmat load.

 

Trucking is perfect for me since I naturally can go on without hardly any sleep, and I can sleep in the day time or the night time plus I am very independent and do not need other people to fulfill my happiness. However the every day person who needs to hang out with buddies on the weekends, has a family to support, spends every holiday with parents, and automatically falls asleep at 9PM will have a difficult time with this job which is why they probably leave.

My dad was my only family and when he passed away that left me alone so I love trucking. I don't even put in home time requests even though I own a nice new house. I just stop by to mow the lawn and check my mail if I have a delivery that passes through my city. I like being in the truck too since I save so much money on utilities and gas I would spend if I were at home that come free in this truck.

 

I was in the same place as you a few months ago. I made the plunge when my job layed me off and my wife divorced me.....I figured, what the hell. I've been wanting to do it for years and now, with no place to live persay....wtf.
and so far, I don't regret it.

I drive for Schneider.
The pay has been ok for me....taking home $550-$600 / week, but benefits haven't kicked in yet.
My benefits are good though and only cost about $50/week for me and my kids.
I drive for 3 weeks and then get a week home with my kids.
I can stay out longer if I want to make more money.
I also get a raise in 6 months and at 12 months....and yearly after that.
I also get an attainable bonus of 2 cents per mile every 3 months.

The hardest part is getting used to life in a truck. It's pretty wild to wake up behind a Walmart in Portland one day...and then wake up in at a rest stop in the middle of a desert the next.
It's been fun though.
The job is easy, cept for the city driving and random work hours.

Right now I'm sitting in a hotel on my week off...enjoying time with my kids, regular showers, drinking expensive beer and getting lots of rest.
I go back on the road in 4 days....and I'm looking forward to it.

You have to like being alone. I don't think a lot of people realize just how alone you are. For me...it's exciting, makes me feel more alive and free. For others...I guess not, they get lonely, I guess.
I don't know why there is so much turnover...I guess folks get dillusional about what it's all about.
Not the case for me...it's exactly what I thought it would be.

 

The starter companies will always have huge turnover due to constantly taking people on who have no idea what the job involves and learn the hard way that it's not for everybody. Even if the money was absurdly good, some will never be able to live on the road or deal with the stress. Add on top of that most that will stay in the industry will leave the company after 1-2 years as they are called a starter company for a reason. Most of the drivers that will continue trucking are just looking to put their time in and nothing more.

Then there are the guys who are always looking for that perfect job and will jump, some more often than others, to find it. That situation isn't a starter company only problem.

 

The high turnover rate doesn't include the percentage of CDL mill graduates that get rejected at orientation. Schools will give you as many chances as you need to pass a road test . A carrier gives you one try . At $300 a week trainees are cheap team drivers for 4-6 weeks. Then carriers find the petty excuses you mentioned to fire new drivers and get more cheap trainees.

 

Much of the turnover is due to "churn" or moving from one carrier to another. This is a much different job than most have experienced. Being away from home for 2-3 weeks at a time and then home for a couple of days can put a lot of stress on the family. If people have never been accustomed to being away from home for extended periods of time, then it can be a very difficult adjustment. In recent years, many have come to this industry as a last resort just to put food on the table or pay the bills when their former career was abruptly ended. There are many former IT people in who have come to this industry since the IT bust. I think that people either love or hate this industry. If you hate it then you won't do very well. Many do come into the business with unrealistic expectations.