How much will the downfall of retail affect trucking employment

All these store closings are going to hurt some people. But I think we will not see as big a drop in sales as all the store closings would indicate. This is more like a market correction. These companies built too many stores to begin with. In a relatively small city like Sioux Falls, SD there are 4 walmart super centers, for instance.

 

They're not closing the super centers they're closing the small convenience walmarts, they were basically an experiment that failed.

 

We have seen this too rapid expansion kill more corporations that I can think of. They have a good handle on their business, have their costs in line, then some greedy a-holes on the board of directors figure if they can make this much money on existing stores, they'll make much more if they put in more stores.
So operating costs skyrocket but their new stores cut into their old stores sales, and profits fall. (And then they blame it on the store managers...)

 

It just depends on what type of hauling you're doing. It sounds like you're locked into OTR with a large retail super store. There's so many other types of truck driving but you've got to go out and find them. The better companies have no need to advertise for filling a space. They have drivers waiting to work for them. Even as a new driver there's a chance they just might find a great job. I hauled gasoline before I retired and it was just the opposite with us when a store closed and people had to drive further to get what they want.

I can't say enough about getting out and finding a company that meets your goals. Get off the computer and find out by seeing what's going on. You might have to file on-line but you'll know more about where you're going than the driver that takes a company from paper. Besides, you want to mention something that will set you out there because if you do not someone the company can identify with will get the job.

Make a list of goals and needs. Try to cover as many items you can think of including benefits, retirement, medical, school, investing, what type of trucks and what kind of shape are they end, if the company is hauling their own downstream products ( that's when they haul what they make.

It's better because the company knows you're not out there to make the company rich, you're out there to make the company's product rich. The more you put into finding a good driving job the better off you'll be. Good luck and don't give up.

 

Hey GH, are you back driving again?

 

No, I'm done forever. I planned ahead so I could retire and live comfortably and that's what I'm doing.

 

I don't know where your located at, but over in the NE, most of the stores you mentioned are delivered by NRT/Keystone Freight, with the exception of Walmart. I drove for them many many years ago. And I'm sure it's gonna affect them one way or the other.

As far as the increase in online orders, if anything, it should bring more work to package delivery services like UPS, Fed Ex, and USPS, as well as LTL companies. Since Amazon is planning on having their own trucking fleet, USPS is gonna be the sole delivery service for them. But even if UPS or Fed Ex loses the Amazon account, it's still not gonna affect them too much, because Amazon is a small percentage of their accounts. There's plenty of other online stores besides Amazon, and most of their money makers are on bulk deliveries. Although once Amazon gets their fleet going, both their stocks are probaly gonna go down drastically, from stock holders jumping ship.

We'll have to see what happens to them in the future.

 

Open your eyes. Those companies you listed do not delivery my gasoline. Nor do a lot of other things get to me by those companies. There's a lot of trucking besides what a new driver takes when he or she takes the word of a school.

 

That's why I pull a refer. I get more more miles than I know what to do with.
Not worried one bit here...