The real reason so many new drivers don't last...

If everyone was an owner op,

1. Freight rates would have to go up because there would be less overhead and less fingers in the pie. Owner ops dont want a dispatcher or handholding or respect, or sunshine injections in the #### from recruiters, they just want to load and go.

2. Smarter drivers. You can be stupid and be a company driver. Cant be done as an owner op. Thats your name on the line. Its your business. Be stupid and you will be out of business in less than a month.

3. Better trucks. Want a good laugh? Read about one of these big trucking companies selling their "fleet maintained" POS trucks in the classifieds. Underpowered, stripped down rig thats seen 12 different drivers in 300k miles.

4, Safer roads. Take the stupid from between the driver's seat and the steering wheel, and remove the POS fleet truck and you will instantly see a huge drop in jacknifes.

 

It used to be limited. Then the government decided to "help" us out.

No thanks. Been there, done that, hated it. This ain't no rolling cage, it's my Fortress of Solitude.

 

Then all the trucking companies are struggling because this is happening to all of them.

A lot of these companies are firing drivers for excessive idle. Also the states now have anti-idling laws. In Ca. the fine is $300.

Let's be realistic. Most company drivers are lucky if they gross $500 per week.

Completely disagree. For the right price, I will give up some creature comforts. As I've stated before, I don't work for free, which is what is happening in OTR driving.

 

Words in red denote that communistic "if it happens to me, it must be happening everywhere" mentality. Words like everywhere, everyone, everything should raise a red flag to you capitalistic freewheeling opportunists out on the bigroad.

California is a communist state, has always been since the fruits fell off trees and wanted to marry. But even so, I havent been bothered for idling when I was in Cali in May and June. Then again, why go to Cali when the freight is too cheap to deal with commies?

I shall not cower in fear of the Red Scare. When guts are outlawed, only Outlaws will have guts.

 

Speaking of comforts, my truck runs the way I want it to, has a pillowtop matress, a Sears Elite, and an air conditioner that can frost the inside windows in Laredo, no shade, 108 degree temps.

I must be living the High Life.

 

Let me give you a fine example of this. Last week Highlander was asked to go check out an abandoned truck in the yard. He did, door was unlocked, keys were in it, truck was fine.

A trainer pulled up with a trainee to take the truck. The trainee was getting his truck, and his first load. This was on a Thursday afternoon. He was given his first load, which was to go from Las Vegas to somewhere in Arizona. THe delivery time was Friday morning at 6am.

Friday morning comes along and the receiver is calling asking where is his load. They check, the newbie and his truck are still sitting in the yard. When the newbie was asked what the deal was, he said he went down 95, hit construction, took a wrong exit and ended up back up north of Vegas. He just came back to the yard and shut it down because he said he was too frustraited between traffic, the road construction, not knowing the road.

The load was rescheduled to deliver Saturday morning. As of 9am Saturday morning, the load still had not arrived at the receiver.

Need I say more of why people don't last.

 

Maybe just the ones that would hire you! We have 9 trucks in our little fleet and it is RARE when a truck sits for 1 day we usually have them re-loaded before they are empty.

Some companies are sleazy enough to do that but not all are. I think more and more states are leaning towards anti idle laws...We have brought this on ourselves by running the truck when the weather is very mild and not using common sense when it comes to idle time. Pay the fuel bills for a couple of months and you'll get real creative at finding ways to not idle.

Not very good wages...But let's be realistic, I haven't made less than a grand a week since the 70's. If you're willing to settle for crappy money then that's what you'll get.

You don't have to give up much...I live quite nicely on the road and enjoy this lifestyle very much! Some guys are just not cut out for this business. You sound like one of them!

You have stated that...Repeatedly! What do YOU have to offer that makes you stand out from the crowd? How much research did YOU do when looking for a job? Did you just put in a generic online application and go to work for the first company that would buy you a bus ticket to orientation? That's not how you find a GOOD job!

But YOU already know that, don't you?

My drivers don't work for free on even for cheap but they WORK HARD! They pull together as a team for their own benefit as well as the companies. They are well compensated for their efforts and guess what? They all run OTR.
Yes, I know...YOU don't work for free but you don't work for me...And from the way YOU present youself you never will!

 

Actually I drove trucks for 10 years. After I retired from the Air Force I drove OTR for a year, then regional flatbed for 2 years. I drove concrete mixers for 7 years, and left in 2001. I got a Federal job in 2001 doing computer processing and I make $30 per hour today.
I don't know any truck drivers that make what I do. Maybe some union drivers that make up to $20 per hour would come closest. When I say I don't work for free, I mean that every second I am at work, I am making money.
In the trucking business, most non-union jobs are paid cpm, or percentage. This is where drivers are screwed royally. Being paid cpm or percentage, is only for the driving portion. What about all the down time waiting for a load, or sitting at the docks? That is time on the job that is free. If you don't mind doing this, more power to you. I'm do mind, and feel my time is valuable. I made lots of sacrifices in my A.F. career, but it was worth it. I'm not going to make sacrifices for a trucking company, just so they can make money, with little compensation for myself.

 

So......If you hate it so bad and don't want anything to do with it, Why are you hanging out on trucker forums? Do you get your rocks off griping about something you claim to have no interest in? If you're truly happy doing what you're doing now then you would have moved on and not be sniffin' around the industry you claim to hate!

OR....Are you one of those perpetual complainers that just aren't happy unless they aren't happy? I mean, By your own admission you've been away from the industry for 8 years. Why are you here?