Finding drivers

They're not having trouble at all. There's a waiting list to get in. But yes, I agree that Its a driver's market out there and you can't expect to attract quality driver's with a sub quality position. Especially in specialized hauling such as open deck. My advice to stem the bleeding is to buy a couple of dry vans, lease on with a decent carrier and sign up with ADP or some other payroll company. All the best driver's go to the best jobs.

 

Check out Yarbrough.

 

I knew what you meant.

 

I've a feeling these companies are in a continual hiring mode because they know that they will have as many or more leave the next day....so maybe it's more of a retention problem than a shortage problem. I've read where average pay is $40,000....and I know for a fact a lot make a lot more than that; so maybe the ones quitting or moving on are the ones making that $40 - or less since that supposedly is the average.

 

Care to explain your math on how she could afford benefits being that small?

 

I gotta say that there is some truth to his statement. Most driver don't care if the trucks a "money maker"... as the one post said, it's just plastic to me.

I'm not a brick going down the road fan, I like aero trucks that are comfy and you can see everything on the road but what I've found is not everyone likes what I do and there's a reason the 379 and 389 has been the number 1 owner op truck for 30 years.

Even though I like my automatic prostar the best, when I put a ad up that I'm hiring to drive this truck I only get calls from new drivers or people I cannot understand on the phone who are once again..... new drivers.

When I put my Columbia and 386 online....... same response. A little bit better than the automatic and I get it, alot of truckers hate autos.

But when I put my 2008 pete 389 (profile pic) with a turned up c15 online..... I had better not put my phone number or I will never get off the phone! It's like a job fair exploded in my email. I hate this truck, it's got the highest cost of ownership out of all of them but the drivers seem to like it.

 

Problem is qualified. I ran safety for years for a private fleet. We had solid standards and most couldn't meet them.

1. Don't keep switching jobs. If you say the company is bad, well, then if that happened 6 times in the past 2-years then you are the one picking the wrong companies (at best).
2. Don't cheat on logs and keep equipment clean. The PSP's that some guys have is amazing. And you wonder why we are going to see ELDs.
3. This is your job. Good luck getting hired with a speeding in school zone, construction zone or 15 over. Or talking on the cell.

I honestly thought our recruiting would just let anyone submit apps hoping they are good. Then I listened to calls. Guys that said they are clean then you learn they have a 5-year old felony, speeding tickets and 5 page PSP.

 

Not my problem. If she cannot manage to actually afford benefits, she needs to find better loads that pay more or close shop. It's one of the headaches of running a business and one reason I prefer not to run a business.
Her complaint was not finding good drivers, I simply told her why she's not getting good drivers.

 

@dustinbrock ...wow, just wow.

Your post was very insightful.

I would have thought reliability trumps everything...i.e. less time in the shop means more time behind the wheel to the driver. I guess I was wrong.

Question is: how do you then maximize profits???? People who don't care about costs (i.e. drivers) are most attracted to the most costly equipment to operate (to the owner).

I wonder what these drivers would say if they had to foot a % of the operating costs.

 

I'm pretty sure a lot of drivers run on 1099 but your comment has no logic.

Not my problem? I asked for logic behind your response and you can't offer one.

Maybe she can't find drivers due to location or maybe due to equipment or maybe she has elogs.

But hey not your problem so what do you care you just have quick replies while resting at a truckstop and scrolling TTR