Rum's Rants

They want turnover. They would rather pay new guys 30 cpm than an experienced driver 40 cpm. They just somehow want these to new guys to be able to be as safe and as efficent as a 10 year veteran. They have been changing the training program for at least the last fifteen years. It hasn't improved the drivers or helped retention, all it has done was crank out newbies faster than before. I would be curious to see what would happen to driver retention if for one year they took all the money they spend on recruiting and training, and instead increased driver pay and benefits.

 

I would have stayed...

 

That doesn't make sense. The money they would save bringing in a new guy is spent housing, feeding and training them and paying the trainers to train them.


Joe

 

I know it doesn't make sense but they keep doing along with a lot of other companies. They must get some kind of tax break or some deal from the government for training.

 

Yeah didnt think about that angle.


Joe

 

Actually it would require counter intuitive thinking on their part to concentrate their efforts on retention. Normal business models treat labor as an expense rather than an investment. This isn't just in trucking, but in all phases of business. Wonder why the educational system has fallen so far? School boards decided to reduce budgets by getting rid of experienced teachers with higher salaries in favor of new graduates who are at the bottom end of the pay scale. Pick your industry and you find the same thinking. To value experience would take a fundamental shift in thinking. Even if you can't raise pay, there are other perks you could offer your best drivers. Here's a suggestion, experienced drivers are no longer under forced dispatch.

 

I would agree with your theorie in most cases, but not with Roehl. The new pay program debunks that line of thinking, because a new driver can be maxed out on the pay scale much faster than before.

 

How long does it take to max out now? It took me over ten years there to top out. I actually made more money when I was a little lower on the pay scale because I got more miles. When we got a pay raise at Roehl it was usually followed by an increase in cost of insurance. So usually a raise turned into a pay cut.

 

Not that long at all you can be at max witch for me is .48 in your first year as long as you do your job and don't have any accidents. I will be at .38 within my first two months as long as the same holds true

 

The new pay plan is one of the reasons why I left. I had no accidents or service failures, and over 6 years experience. The only way I could make more than what I was already making was to drive more miles. That means not going home nearly as often. That's crap! Not paying for experience is also crap. There is no substitute for time on the road when it comes to being a safe and productive driver. Not all experienced drivers are better than new drivers, but most are. That's why most companies are looking for experienced drivers.