Here Is A Way To Look For A Good Company

I might point out "JerryCo: has nothing to do with Jerryl. Jerry Moyes is the leader of Swift and many many many other trucking outfits. I, myself, used the term "Jerry's Kids" when speaking on the subject.

 

I agree. Current drivers for any company can't be relied on. Those guys will tell tall tales for sure. Especially those who paint rosy pictures of how great their outfits are when those outfits have just seen a 150%+ turnover rate for the year.

You mentioned in another post that you once worked for SwiftQuit. Past tense. I will assume you are talking about a former driving job, and you still work for the 'Quit. You just moved up from the position of driver to that of insider. Now the question is did you actually work your way up, or did you have somebody pull you up? Patronage is nice when you're inside the fold reaping the benefits. If you're outside the fold then too bad for you.

To blither a little bit, I have to say that I saw that patronage thing a lot while I lived in Utah. The supermajority there loves to help its own. Those in the fold are rewarded and find themselves wildly successful. Anyone outside the fold is kicked down and held down. These folks are an arrogant lot, and some even think they own the ground everyone else walks on. It's good that attitude won't get one far here.

 

I will not address Tip directly as he is nothing but a whiny, disgruntled ex-driver who has no intentions of driving again (his own admission in another post) and no intentions of actually reading someone's post. If he did he would see that I do not work inside or outside at Swift Transportation Co., I am currently a school bus driver looking into different companies to hire on with once I go back to OTR driving this summer. He says he agrees with my last post then turns around and says current drivers cannot be trusted. My point on here several times is that the MOST reliable source of information is to talk to current drivers. I have yet to talk to a single driver for any of the companies I am considering (and some of those, because of my location, are not the best) who have painted a "rosy picture" of their company.

Case in point, I spoke with a driver from a major refrigerated carrier yesterday. He had some very positive things to say about the comapny and some very negative things to say about the company. I am then able to take what he said and process that along with other information I have received from other drivers to help me make my decision.

Tip's problem is, he is not really interested in helping people here he just wants to continually repeat the same whiny story over and over and that really does no one any good. It must be a sad life to live just being negative all the time.

 

Are you talking about the tellers-of-tall-tales drivers at the lunch counters? I'm confused here. Set me straight. Where are these unbiased drivers one can talk to? Judging by someone's previous posts, they can't be found here, as this site is reserved for the whiners and gripers who do nothing but play the role of clown.

 

So...like...do you...um...listen to the guys who work for the company, don't work for the company, or used to work for the company? I'm confused.

 

"Driver turnover continues to plague the trucking industry. The American Trucking Association (ATA) recently announced that the annualized driver turnover rate for TL drivers was 127 percent for the first quarter of 2007. This marks the highest turnover rate since it peaked at 136 percent at the end of 2005. LTL driver turnover increased four percent to 14 percent even though turnover is usually pretty low compared to TL. The impact has not been as severe as it could be because the market has softened as a result of excess capacity. The ATA has stated that, on average, carriers are reporting seven percent of their fleets are presently underutilized. Several large TL carriers ended the first quarter with almost two percent fewer drivers; in some cases, the drivers that left were not replaced, due to soft freight levels. Various small regional TL carriers actually increased their level of drivers by 3.5 percent. This second straight quarterly increase in drivers demonstrates one of the fundamental issues causing driver turnover in the trucking industry: drivers seeking jobs that give them the ability to be home at the end of the day. Drivers are shifting from large, national carriers to smaller regional carriers that allow them to be home more often and, in some cases, leaving the industry altogether."

So its time for everyone to get out of trucking since the turnover is so high? Actually I tend to agree with the bottom of the article where I found this. No one likes to be out on the road anymore. Its tough, away from the kids and family. So you either quit and try and get onto an LTL or small regional where you can be home more often.

 

For the current pay available, no, guys would prefer to be home in their own beds. Also remember that idling is being frowned on of late, meaning if I stay out I either freeze or roast six months a year or even longer, depending on location.

Is the industry following the drivers' preferences or are the drivers being forced to adopt those preferences by the industry?

 

Combination of both. The bigger shippers are regionalizing their distribution centers, so this helps create niche regional carriers. The regional carriers have an easier time gaining drivers, and keeping them, but they are usually tied closer to their bigger customers, and how they do. I know a few in my area that I watch. Some of their bigger customers are Home Depot, Lowes, etc.. I watch them taking a ton of freight from Dallas to Houston. They underbid everyone to get the freight, which I completely understand. They must to keep their niche. The problem they are facing is their previous customer base out of Houston is feeling the economic downturn, and shipping less. So now they are being forced to deadhead allot more then they used to, and since they underbid everyone pretty dramatically, they have undercut their own margins which would have helped offset that deadhead. That company is bleeding itself out. If the economy and fuel costs dont change, I would be surprised if they are still in business during the next 6 months. Pay is what it is right now, the last 3 years I have seen the industry pay increase for almost everyone which is excellent. It was all passed along in rates also, or better effeciency within company operations. If fuel doesnt go down more, you will see more companies with stricter idle, and governing the speed of the trucks. Its survival right now for the industry. I am waiting to see the collapse of all these little companies which will create demand again, and better freight and rates despite the downturn of the economy.

 

That's a good point, Vick. Companies that get these contracts to run certain accounts are handcuffing themselves to those shippers. If the shippers are feeling a slowdown and are demanding less transportation from trucking companies, those trucks become idle. Companies then have to scramble to keep those rigs rolling or park 'em.

Hopefully, not ALL the little guys will collapse. I know most will sink out of sight, though. *sob* I guess the only OTR jobs in the future will be team positions with the hugeantics that have trucks governed at 55-mph speeds. It's sad, indeed. I don't drive anymore, but I can remember many a great summer in the late 90s that saw me driving solo OTR in trucks that had no governors.

 

Ha, and do you remember what the fuel prices were like then? I still remember griping when gas was 1.08, and diesel was cheaper then that also. Tip, a conspiracy that I would believe would involve why diesel used to be cheaper then gas, but is now more expensive. Let me know your theory on that.

The small company I was watching just cleaned out their whole upper management. I bet someone just realized the predicament they just put themselves in. I do hope they can fix themselves on a personal level. Proffessionally, I dont mind taking some of that freight for my drivers. I admit, it sounds bad, but I do want everything I can for my driving team.

Mack E-6, I didnt quote anything...I felt bad after I noticed you went in and cleaned up the quote mess's....thats dedication! Thanks