What is future forecast for truck driving as industry?

That could very well be a bad idea. People are flocking to trucking, as their personal savior in a time of need. Most of them will get chewed up within the first year, spit out, then owe 1000's to their savior.

This is a period of transition for trucking. they have an abundance of highly skilled drivers that are being knocked out of jobs by non-skilled drivers entering the market just to get a paycheck...any paycheck.

One works for chicken feed (20-35% less). The other for prevailing wage. Who do you think will get hired first?

Yes, it's a good time to get into trucking. They'll hire you before they will an experienced driver.

So you intend to spend 30 plus years at the same company then, right? Right now the national average for most major companies is below 9000 miles per month. Even when freight was moving good. Most simply tried to maintain a 9500 mile per month average per driver.

If you never take a day off. Your dream will come to fruit...in 27 years.

Knock the first million out, pay off everything you owe. Then coast, the remaining years.

 

THIS IS PURE BULL #####
I drove for 40 year's and these same driving stories has been around that long .Only difference is it was truck stop cr#p. Now it's trucking forum cr#p. Danny

 

If you can't see the humor, don't read it.

 

Was there more to that quote? Don't remember why...but he's on iggy. And I don't take folks off...just to see what the complete post might have been LOL

And I just don't get the post I can see

Unless it was in referance to the wino comment LMAO

In which case, I can add to it. I have 5 working here now. One holding a flashlight (it's dark here) and a bottle. The other 4 holding a bottle...and a paint brush.

I'm pretty sure I gave them all the same color paint. I'll check it out in the morning to be sure. It's too cold to go out and check on them right now.

 

Probably picked up the winno's up in Mo. to drive ambulance did you ever see them people drive (like N.Y.Cab driver's. just a little humor.Danny

 

The way I figure it, as a guy just getting into the business now, stuff will still have to moved from place to place. You can't compare this country to anyone else but China, Russia, Mexico, or Canada, simply due to size. 50 years ago, a plant that made a widget was happy to get customers from the 100 miles around their facility. Now, thanks to the internet and Wal Mart, everything is expected to be available nation wide. There are few regional things now.

Until the transporter from Star Trek is worked out, things will still need to go from place to place. Now who could blame a company, especially one with a board of directors or stockholders, trying to save money? Which is why it sucks to be on the lower rungs of the distribution ladder.

Bottom line, this is one job they can't outsource to India (coming from an IT career to drive, so I know) and there will always be a demand for the service. It may not pay like it did a few years back, but everything everywhere is like that. I started out fixing computers and printers 17 years ago, and at the end, I was making the same amount of money per hour. Meanwhile, cost of everything went up. The idea of making more and more money as you get more experience, while continuing to do the same job no longer applies.

It's the corporate ladder. You have to move up, because your pay does not go up until you have increased responsibility or duties.

Rant over. At least I know this going in, and I'm not in for a shock in a couple years.

 

Unlike your IT job. Trucking isn't considered "skilled" labor requiring an employer to jump through hoops when requesting a work Visa for someone willing to come to the US to work..

While the IT job can/did leave the country. Trucking won't have to, due to the fact it is an "unskilled" job and the worker needs to be present in the US.

However......

Companies can simply show a demand, along with a "shortage" of people willing to do the job. Then they will be allowed to hire immigrants on a work Visa.

Companies are still saying there is a severe driver shortage....even now.

How long do you really think it will be, before someone convinces (aka lobbies) a Congressman into allowing the importation of "unskilled" labor to save a company from failure?

It's coming...hang on to your shorts.