Get ready for the stampede

This makes a whole lot of sense. Mystery solved.

Because you know these reporters and news people don't contact Tony's Transport with 30 trucks and 20 long career drivers.

Driver shortage is at the Mega level. That makes so much sense now.

If that's the case, than everything reported relatable to the trucking Industry is from the Mega level.
The impossing rules, the fake studies, the low pay "higher earnings reports", the crappy rates for independents, the bad food at the TA. Hell, pee jugs are also a result of the Megas. Bad drivers = A result of the Megas.
No truck parking = a result of the Megas.
Every nail or screw you've ever had in your tire = just blame it on the Megas. That Mega truck taking its sweet time at the fuel island = yea, you guessed it. Those u-turns = yep, you guessed it.

 

It's sickening. The article states the economy is booming. I surely don't see it. It says unemployment is low, but yet I know lots of people living off unemployment right now. I know I'm on track to have my worst year since my first year of full time driving. And thanks to the 'affordable care act', my health insurance premiums now account for roughly 10% of my gross pay each week.

So tell me again how this job is so great. But, like so many others before me, I will keep following that white line until I reach the end

 

AZ doubles next year, PA 60% everyone else ranges from 20 to 50% increases.

These increases continue annually until the People simply say #### this I aint paying.

 

I think parking is going to get worse once the eld comes on board. Everyone will either be forced to team or park.

 

Don't believe the lamestream media.

 

I hate to say this and said it before, but I mix my schedule up between driving nights and days or partials of both, if ya haven't noticed ...I call them solar trucks, like clock work everyday same time the truck stops are full, I never have problems for parking when I roll nights and take my break in morning like 9 am or so. With the exception of winter weather at times, I prefer mix of days and nights , not to mention I can get thru the bigger cities faster at night. Let them fight for the parking, as I say...lol

 

I work at Swift.
(no comments about that, please)

As far as I know Swift was the first to raise driver pay a couple years ago.
Others quickly followed.
Less than a year later Swift raised pay by a similar amount, again.
Others quickly followed with the same increase.
That was after perhaps nearly a decade of no raises in base pay at all?

See a pattern?

The entire industry had to raise the pay, because the largest company did it - and it evened out the bar once again for the pay scale between the companies.
The same carrot is there for Swift drivers... more pay at some other companies. So Swift will have much the same turnover rate of drivers.


Those sitting new trucks that have no drivers is because there is a limited amount of freight, not because of a driver shortage.
And the limited freight is due, probably, to a depressed economy.
High business taxes forcing industry out of this country, Obamacare, too much regulation...

 

The shortage is of drivers is real, BUT, it's not the way we think it is. The shortage is in drivers who actually want to work, who will take the bad with the good, who can man up and admit it when they are wrong, or take a butt chewing when the screw-up.

There are far too many "hoppers" out there who don't want to take the bad with the good, who can't man up, they want to work 8-4, Monday thru Friday, god forbid you need them to work overtime, or send them home early. They want a plush truck, with shag carpet, air conditioned massaging air ride seats, a foot massage at the end of the day.

We've gone thru so many drivers in the last few years, it's almost comical. Last fall we hired two new drivers, one quit after a few months because he didn't like the 13 hr days. The other guy stuck around, he's now been there a year. The difference, the one that stuck around is in his 50's. Earlier this year we hired two guys, both are long gone, we've been slow all year, they got tired of the 40 hr weeks, they wanted 50 or 60 hrs, well, the business isn't there. Guess what, it's now starting to pick up, we're back averaging 45 hrs per week.

 

You said it yourself the small fleets have longer career drivers so of course they only get facts from the mega carriers. The mega carriers are the only ones who have the labor force to track facts and figures like that. Plus not many small fleets will hire a person fresh from truck driving school, so it leads me to believe its the larger carriers who have the shortage

 

Indiana goes down