18?

They can pay it back in a year IF they last a year . Fact is the majority of newbies don't .

 

True.

Turnover hovers around 100% for major carriers. Most new truckers quit well before their first year is up and many leave the industry altogether.

Let's face it, the deck is pretty well stacked against new drivers. The majority of new drivers will likely need to get their first year experience with a major carrier, which means OTR for 4-6 weeks at a time and low pay. After that year the number of job opportunities increase remarkably. After 3 years, with a clean CSA score, most companies will hire you. The challenge is being able to get those years of experience under your belt without quitting.

As others have noted in other threads, quitting and job hopping within the first year or two isn't something that companies want to see on your record. Being able to stick it out and get your experience is a good thing.

While smaller local companies are a great option for new drivers, the reality is that the major carriers will be the "port of entry" for a large segment of new drivers. Do your homework and get into the industry with your eyes wide open, be willing to live inexpensively, and this will help increase your chance of success.

 

I'd say that many of the new drivers quit because they find out that work IS involved in trucking. They were thinking that they would get paid to be tourists. They had bad work ethic before trucking and all of a sudden, they're going to be diligent? Doesn't happen.

You see a thread started, someone has nothing else to turn to, no job in a decade, nearing 40 years old, mama passed on and now he/ she has no place to live. "I drove to grandma's house once...it was a 9 hour trip and I liked it...do you think I could be a driver?" Hmmmm, guess it seems that bottom feeders DO serve a purpose.

I actually find it refreshing for an 18 yr old to be looking for a trade. Smart! A young man looking to work and doesn't mind logging. You know, that's the thing that boggles my mind...most of you don't want to work for the bottomfeeders, complain about the low pay the first year, and that $500 a week is less money than you would make flipping burgers if you add all the hours up. The hoppers are out there, the cattle trucks, stick trucks....all of those guys you see on the back roads. No qualcomms, no handholding, no company policy to hide behind, pays a brand new driver 2 to 3 times more than you will make working for a feeder, but you guys don't want to go that route. Why? Because hard work is involved.

You can get into a truck, work hard, make $1200-1600 a week, be home on the weekend and chase momma around the bedroom once during the week....and you won't do it because you have to work hard.

Kudos to the young man looking for dock work. That's a tough job. While you're young, become as physically strong as you can possibly be. You will carry that physical strength with you for many decades. Physical strength protects you and helps you to recover from injuries.

 

Somebody cue Alice Cooper's "18"