Why do new drivers quit?

I see your point, but what happens to the drivers, who have seniority, pay and benefits that go along with that seniority; when the company *decides* it's better for their bottom line, if they "find a way" to screw the senior drivers out of a job - i.e. make up a reason to terminate - so they can pay newbies a fraction of what they are paying the tenured drivers...

This happens all the time and it isn't right - without a union you'll get fired for any reason and it doesn't matter if you have the ultimate work ethic! The company only cares about their bottom line and that's all....

 

Same with union leaders. 6 and one half dozen...

 

I am sure it is a combination of things with most people. Driver recruiters share much of the blame, IMHO, they paint a rosey picture and don't tell the realities of the job. Every recruiter needs to spend a month on the road themselves, IMO.

My wife, who has driven with me for over 7 years has said that If something happened to me so that I couldn't drive that she would quit driving. The reason, she can't back very well and she is intimidated when having to find a destination herself. Some people just are not cut out to be driver and she wouldn't be one if not for me.

The biggest difference I see from when I started driving, 1987, to now is the fact that when I started most people in this industry wanted to be in this industry. Their dad's or brothers or Grandpa were truck drivers and they grew up around trucks. Today most folks getting into the industry are people who truly never had a desire to drive a truck but are doing so out of necessity. They don't have any other way to make a decent living so they drive a truck grudgingly, or they dropped out of school and can't find a decent job in a factory like you used to because they have all moved overseas. These are the guys and gals we see who drive with a attitude, because they really hate their job! Folks that drive with a attitude don't normally stay around long because they get involved in accidents or too many speeding tickets.

 

I chose other before reading the entire poll but I suppose I would fit in the failure to adapt category also .

Being 39 and used to working day jobs in construction I'm old enough to know what I don't want to do and what I won't do . Like going OTR , I simply won't do it .

Being a new guy in truck driving , the companies seem to want you to act like a prostitute in that they expect you to be 100 % committed to their needs and be there when they want you .

I kind of understand the "one year " experience thing , but I also think that if a company would spend two or three weeks training a person " their way " of doing things it would work out in the companies favor .

I have a clear MVR with a clear criminal background but I don't have one full years experience so I keep getting shot down when applying . How do I know , cause I ask and they tell me that's why .

IMO , the flex / casual board is GARBAGE ! I don't care if I work days or nights just put me on a shift and let me work that shift .

Expecting someone to work days , then nights , then back to days or start in the middle of the day , all in the same week is BS .

One company I worked for did that and when I asked about their turnover rate I was told that 53% of folks that start don't end up staying past 6 months . To me that's a CLUE that your company has issues .

Now I'm back to working construction on a day shift , I'm still applying for driving jobs but in all likelihood , I'll let my CDL and endorsements expire since they're not doing me any good .

 

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Hey man, life will knock you down time and time again,,,you just have to go back,,,an try try again until l you succeed, if backing is your issue ( it is mine too!!) jsut keep at it till it clicks.....Ive talked to a lot of old drivers who have told me that when they started out they backed into a hit things,,,'TRUCK DRIVERS ARE NOT BORN,,,,AND NO ONE can teach you how,,you jsut gotta figure it out yourself,,,dont get down on your self,,,stay positive,,,and just do it!!

 

Never home, short pay, short runs, unpaid layovers, the Northeast, weekends spent in the middle of nowhere, brain-damaged dispatch, grocery warehouses, the "screw the driver" game, fleece purchase, CSA nazis, extreme weather, and deteriorating health... new guys leaving for the same reasons as the old guys.

OTR is worse odds than any roulette wheel in Vegas... plus you can die or kill someone if you screw up.

Been out here three years and experienced most of it. I'm at a good company now and even they are becoming more like a mega carrier each passing day. Many guys don't speak up because they know like I do it could be a lot worse. Industry needs reform or drivers need to form a real union that gives a #### before everyone simply walks. The abuses are ridiculous... and the revolving door is gonna stop sooner or later.

 

Got excited about a new topic....then I realized it's a year old necro thread.