How trucking used to be and where it is today

This has been an interesting conversation to read.

Question: How does a new driver get into trucking without signing on to haul cheap freight for a bad company? Spend 50-60k to try it solo right out of the gate? Pay 3x more for insurance and go it alone? Go to Igor's TC in Chicago and hope to get paid before the company truck dies? Sign on with Swift and take a draw on that first check?

Maybe the only viable choice Mr. Newbie has is to sign on for .29/mile for Carphauler Trucking Inc. so he can join to the pool of cheap-freight haulers until he has a year or two of experience. Then the industry can chew him up as he goes solo and he becomes a jaded old man like the rest of the posters here.

As long as trucking pays more than ditch digging; there will be a steady stream of new drivers to take the bad jobs because there is no better way to start in this business, there will be a 100%/yr turnover rate with bottom-tier companies, and those companies will continue to haul cheap freight for a .02/mile profit.

 

Ever see the sleezy guy that hangs around the playground with candy? Has a kiddie pool in his front yard but no kids of his own? The teens call the guy "Chester". Well, the bottomfeeders operate in the same fashion. They hang out at the schools and blow sunshine in unsuspecting arses. "Drink the KoolAid! Come sit in our kiddie pool! We will treat you like family."

This is what you see. That doesn't mean that they're the only way n the industry. Look around your area. Find out how many trucking companies that you have never heard of that operate ear you. Contrary to what propaganda tells you, the bottomfeeders, the mega carriers ARE NOT the majority, the small fleets are. The problem is, the vast majority of you guys who are looking to get into the business have ZERO ambition, and ZERO drive, and naturally take the path of least resistance...straight to the bottom. Welcome to Chester's kiddie pool.

 

Dude, I work 50+ hr weeks breaking my back in 100+ degree weather, and do the same at -10. Ambition isn't a problem. I just can't do this forever. I'm sure I'm not unique.

The reality is, this industry prioritizes experience. If you're not a wash-out, you're insurable. If you don't have a couple years, those locals don't want to pay for the risk the insurance company sees. Check your craigslist. What small outfit did you find that takes new drivers? Mine doesn't show any. They want 2yrs OTR. Insurance companies and the companies that hire them want to see years in a Swift truck, even if it's spent parked at Flying J.

Maybe OOIDA could negotiate a decent new-driver policy with someone, but until then, driver mills will do the job.

 

Let's see...

The first jobs I got, I didn't start off driving, just got my foot in the door. They had driving jobs. I didn't get the driving job, I got my foot in the door first, THEN got the driving job. It's what I had to do

My little sister was working at FedEx loading for 6 months. She told me how hot and backbreaking the work was. A driving job came open on the board and I told her to apply for it. She told me that it requires a CDL. I told her to go to the little community college and see how much it cost. She tells me $1200 for a 7 week course. I told her to go and register and I will give her the $1200. When FedEx found out she was in school, they put $3000 in her pocket, and gave her the driving job. So she runs a small route, crosses several state lines, home every day and hasn't been driving 2 years yet, but now can go anywhere she chooses to go.

When I started in beer, I didn't start in a truck, I started in the warehouse. When I started in Foodservice, they didn't have an opening for a driver, so I went into the warehouse. When I started, I didn't have enough experience for the companies to turn me loose in a truck, so I had to take another job. But I always ended up in the truck.

 

My employer does trucking the old school way, as in there's no Qualcomm. Dispatch is done through a company cell phone. You find a payphone if the cell isn't working. You run under loose leaf logs, so with their setup you have the flexibility to run the truck however you want to run it. Oh, and I'm driving a wide open (ungoverned) dressed up W9 with a C15 and a 18 speed transmission.

It's a regional gig, so I'm home on most weekends. In fact most of the time I get 3 day weekends.

I'm paid by the hour, and my employer pays time and a half after 40 hours. If you drive the truck like you stole it, they'll give you plenty of work. It's not hard for me to get 50-60 hours within 4 days.

I get 6 paid holidays off a year and paid vacations. Also I get 401k matching, and only pay around $60 a week for my families health benefits.

Trucking for me is fun. There are little gems out there, you just have to do your homework.

 

Getting a licence is no trouble at all. Heck, I've got that. Just need to upgrade to combos. It's obvious from some of the stuff on this forum, and on the road that they're giving those to almost anybody these days.

Fedex could be a good one, although the exact same route over and back through Meacham to Boardman every day would get old. Also, I hear they want O/O &L/O these days.

I drive Class B every day at 50k+ lbs. This Friday I drove into, then back up the Snake river canyon just downstream from where Evel Kenivil tried to jump. The boss couldn't get out that goat trail in a 1/2 ton without using 4wd. The farmer brought a tractor down to pull me out if I needed it. I didn't. It was close though. We've used a D-8 dozer before at different sites. That stuff is relatively common in my day to day. I've dug and pulled these trucks out of muddy fields so many times... but none of that is OTR experience. At least not as far as insurance and trucking companies are concerned.

I guess the point is, maybe I'll find that great small local company to put me to work. Maybe there's someone who will pay for that insurance risk. However chances are, a Mega carrier with cheap freight is the fastest route from here to O/O territory without breaking the bank.

 

That sounds nice, Redwolf. I'm guessing that wasn't your first trucking job. How much experience did you have OTR before they hired you?

 

I've been fortunate to be an owner operator since day one, but took me a few years to understand profit margins, efficient driving habits, how to get the same power from a b model cat with 400 less RPMS, driving around the easy way instead of making a five point u turn and burning out my arms and clutch and tires.And I've had to replace darn near every part twice on this old 379. I had to learn out of my own pocket,these things need time for you to learn , with experience. Practice makes perfect is wrong, its perfect practice makes perfect.I have close to 800k miles of city and mountain, and job site experience. Name a road in southern California and ive been on it, and many off road situation, "stunt" dump trucking .After 18 years of this im still learning tricks that make and save money.And I hope to keep learning every day. Profit happens when a Lot of little things go right.MOST new drivers are having a hard enough time keeping it between the ditches let alone figuring out profit margins, one SHOULD get a couple years of experimental company driving before swallowing there life with debt.Look listen and learn, make your peanuts, buy a good solid truck with cash or Smaller loan amount so you don't have to lose sleep if your sitting still for a day. Happy Fathers Day, b safe