how the big companies rip you off

Steel Dragon · Feb 10, 2018

You gonna train?

im6under · Feb 10, 2018

Toomanybikes said: ↑

Apparently this little (huge!) factoid has not been obvious to some of you.

All the training companies, all the megas, run a seasonal business model, where the mass of drivers they hire are there only to cover the seasonal surge.

A good portion of trucking is seasonal. That includes auto haul, flats, tankers, and reefers too. If you didn't notice that before, that is your problem. However, the aspect of trucking that is perhaps the most seasonal is indeed the dry van segment that serves the retail businesses as customers. Retail itself surges 30-50% during the Christmas holiday season. With China as the main supplier, each retail customer is a freight customer at least twice. So, retail freight is subject to a multiplying affect that surges even more the retail itself. Those are the customers of the mega.

Construction and Agriculture make no secret about there seasonal aspect. The hire and lay off drivers and pay the unemployment taxes to prove it. That is exactly what the mega companies make money trying to avoid.

So, they create this myth, where there is a shortage of drivers. Where it appears your time as a worker will be valuable to them. And since you are lead to believe their is a shortage of your skill, knowing the rules of supply and demand, you agree to a piece work pay scheme only to hear excuse after excuse of why your paycheck never adds up to the lie they perpetrated.

In order to calm down the yearly mass exodus of drivers that assaults them at 100% each and every year, they try to lock down a indentured workforce with their training scheme. You know, the one where in 3 quick weeks you owe them $5,000-$8,000 and they are willing to forgive that with a couple easy years of servitude. Of course that is under the myth that there is a driver shortage in the first place.
Click to expand...

exactly true

mangdriver · Feb 10, 2018

Megas are only a necessity, because of insurance companies . We have been known to take on a fresh driver from time to time. We have 1 main driver, and 1 backup (me). Granted currently our main trailer is a 36 gooseneck that has a 28' flatbed, we are constantly doing oversize loads widths up to 12', total length up to 80' (secondary or rented trailer for the long length loads). We deliver mainly to residential construction sites, some commercial sites. We take the time to train them. We do local deliveries, with an occasional overnight, no weekends, and typically 8hr shifts. My driver is paid 19/hr and overtime after 40.

im6under · Feb 10, 2018

for the record:
i worked three months at transport america, i knew i was screwed a month in but kept working until i found a job hauling fuel from refineries to tank farms.

after three months they bring you in to give you a newer truck... i turned in the old one, they signed it was ok and gave me a receipt accepted in good order.

went to hand me the keys to the new one and i said no thanks.

i hauled fuel for a little over a year until my current employer hired me... 10 years ago.

dedicated to a chem customer, preloaded outbound, throw the hose and deadhead back home.

am home most nights. most weekends off. and banked a little over 70k last year.

i love this place... and am not looking to leave.

but yes, i hate when the employer lies to your face and plays games with your payday.

i wrote the original piece hoping to simply enlighten some younger guys that there are reputable companies that do try to treat you fairly. Their business model is not one of greed and lies.

dont stay stuck in a no win situation. no, dont be a job hopper... or throw tantrums either... but do keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities.

trucking can be a real rewarding career... with the right company and a good work ethic. i could make more where i am if i wanted too... i dont want to... lol i am not a gone, 4-6 weeks at a time kinda guy. and certainly not for crappy pay...

here, we have a broad spectrum of pay, probably 55-90k as a driver and you will get out what you are willing to put into it.

thats not true everywhere. there are more guys trucking for crap companies than good companies... some stay because they think its like that all over. its not.

if you arent making decent wages for the work and time away from home... look elsewhere !!!

if you have a good job... congratulations. whether from skill or blind luck you’ve done good. but lets not blame the guys that dont know any better for having been taken advantage of.

better to try and educate them and bring them up to a better place.

x1Heavy · Feb 10, 2018

I prefer to stay in particular freighting where the load in that trailer is immune to seasonal or any other problems. My niche is Medicine, Cancer Drugs, Narcotics and God only knows pills with giant words labeled on them by the pallet load and tiny bottles used to inject people.

Those loads go through. 365/24/7 regardless of weather, money, fuel, HOS (Team), riots, threat levels in Memphis etc. You are delivering this overnight somewhere in the morning, where most if not all that medicine is gone within the day.

Payroll, Food, Home Bills etc all takes care of itself. Even 9-11 came and gone because we had enough savings on hand to not care that our Payroll people got destroyed. We kept rolling. Those medicines go through.

No more popcorn, potatochips, meat loads waiting three days to load, crappy auto parts that cannot be 5 minutes late etc. None of that. No more BS walmart loads that require two days to unload or god help us Americold that needs three to load.

When you find the correct type of load to suit your situation, then you have essentially found the Garden of Eden as it were. Paradise. All the problems and BS goes away.

ChaoSS · Feb 10, 2018

Steel Dragon said: ↑

You gonna train?

Click to expand...

I wouldn't mind training. It wouldn't happen the way it happens at megas. It would be done it swim, and I would wash out in a week or less the majority of people who wouldn't last anyway.

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