Another 4,200 truck drivers lost their jobs in September as a recession slams America's $800 billion

Discussion in 'Truckers News' started by rickybobby, Oct 10, 2019.

  1. bryan21384

    bryan21384 Road Train Member

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    I think that even I'd it were higher wages drivers wouldn't stick around. The thing is, people want the money, but they are not willing to give up anything to get it. Even if the pay was there, it's too drastic of a lifestyle change for most people. They want 6 figures, but they also want to get home frequently, get the best food on the road, have somewhere to park, deal with less regulations, have the world ooh and ahhh at them, basically live a little more diva-ish. As for the idea of driver shortage, most people on here will say there isn't one. I will say, that it depends on who you ask. If you ask large companies with established customers and broker relationships, then they will say yes. If you ask owners ops and small fleet owners who rely solely on spot market freight, they will say it's a shortage of pay. If you ask a dry van or reeder driver, they will say no driver shortage. A broker dealing with that type of freight will agree. Waht if you ask a flatbed, tanker, or other specialized haul driver? They may say yes. Same with brokers for those loads. It's been traditionally easier to get flatbed and tanker loads than reefer and dry van. I think there are sections of the industry that may have a shortage.
     
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  3. rbrtwbstr

    rbrtwbstr Road Train Member

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    We don't have a driver shortage in this country. We have a QUALIFIED driver shortage....
     
  4. WakeUpTheEchoes

    WakeUpTheEchoes Light Load Member

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    Think that’s exactly what I said.
     
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  5. WakeUpTheEchoes

    WakeUpTheEchoes Light Load Member

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    Thank you for the insight. You have a point that higher pay may not lead to a higher percentage of drivers staying in the field, but there is little argument that retention within the field is a problem. How to counteract that may be a discussion for the ages. If I had huge amounts of capital invested, I know that I would be thinking that the status quo is no longer sufficient and something needs to be done to re-energize the field to attract better quality workers as a whole and find a way to have those good quality drivers make it a career.
     
  6. bryan21384

    bryan21384 Road Train Member

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    You know, I dont even think the industry is as screwed up as people think it is. You may not get rich trucking, but you will make steady money. I think folks get too caught up in regulations, and I think there is a lack of understanding for the industry as a whole. For instance, it takes shippers and receivers forever to load/unload. What if that plant at point in time is experiencing a shortage of workers? There is a reason for holdups or mishaps in your day to to day duties. We may never know those reasons. We just get caught up in our own agenda and I am not exempt. I am guilty of doing that. As I go farther in my experience I start to look at things differently. The regulations is another thing that upsets people. It's too many of them for me to remember them all. The reality is, there is a reason behind these regs. They may be educated and informed reasons, they may not be. We will never know. Then i think the biggest reason that drivers don't stick around past their rookie year is that too many of them talk disgruntled veteran drivers. When I began, one veteran driver told me to stay out of the truck stop. You get around a bunch of whiners and complainers and that can ruin a good experience out here. It's so many drivers listening to the wrong advice. They listen to opinions about companies from guys who have never worked there, and just formulate an opinion before even going to work somewhere, mainly because you hear only complaints. You'll hear complaints about every single company. Guys get caught up chasing the money too much. I say, just do your job. The money will take care of itself. If I could talk to all newbies, I would. I would give them the reality, but it wouldn't sound like a miserable lifestyle. I am sorry bro, I got carried away. I didn't mean to get on an early morning soap box lol
     
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  7. rbrtwbstr

    rbrtwbstr Road Train Member

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    Perhaps I'm a bit insulated from the industry as a whole, given that I work local now, but I've seen a decline in some things in the short time I've been doing this. I really started to notice it back about 2008 or so when the economy crashed. I'm sure others would argue things have been going the wrong way a lot longer. I can only speak from what I've observed since 2001. And I really didn't pay attention to such things until 2008. So take this for what you will.

    You see and hear about a driver shortage. And it is very real for some companies. But I think if you look at the companies screaming the loudest, you can see why.

    They're usually training companies. They have plenty of fresh meat for a seat at any given time. Lots of newbies clamoring to get their start. But they have high turnover rates in those companies. So much so that they still have trucks waiting for driver. Now why is that? Let's consider how they operate. 65mph trucks, automatic transmissions, nanny cameras, lane departure warning systems, braking systems that can slam on the brakes if they detect a hazard ahead. And low pay (although ya gotta start somewhere). Experienced drivers need not apply. You're not wanted, because you won't do things the company way.

    Couple all that with an overzealous safety manager on a power trip, and you have drivers stressed out before ever turning a key. Then they throw around the alphabet reports (DAC, PSP) as a weapon. It creates undue stress, and that leads to unhappy drivers. They get their experience and move on in most cases. Sometimes the move is a sideways move, and not really a step up.

    Those that do make an upward move can find themselves starting all over again when they find another job. In some cases, the training wheels come off at this point. Faster trucks, manual transmissions, no nanny cam, and a requirement to be able to think for one's self. Some will wash out at this point. Those that don't will be like a baseball in tall grass for a while. Then they screw up. Speeding tickets, log violations, tearing up a truck, etc. Then they become disgruntled, and those are the ones you see at the truck stop grumbling.

    Ignore them. They're like bad apples, and we all know the saying about bad apples.

    Another thing I've noticed (mainly at my current job) is people worrying about what their co-workers are doing. By that I mean comparing who's making the money. We have a guy here that just has to know what I'm doing every day. And I'm not bashful about telling him that I'm having a great day. But then he gets all pissy mad because I'm gonna make $20 more than he will. It's such a waste of time.

    Over the last few years, I've learned to just go and do my job, and do it better than the next guy, ignore the noise, and be as happy as I can. I don't worry about DAC reports, PSP reports or safety managers. Yeah, I still screw up from time to time. They wanna make a big deal about it, let them. I don't really care.

    So what if there is a driver shortage? Nothing I can really do about it. So why expend energy worrying over it?
     
  8. WakeUpTheEchoes

    WakeUpTheEchoes Light Load Member

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    No problem. I have been there many a time myself. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
     
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  9. RockinChair

    RockinChair Road Train Member

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    I'm so sick of people using the word recession as a fear-mongering tactic without knowing what it actually means.
     
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  10. Dave_in_AZ

    Dave_in_AZ Road Train Member

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  11. bryan21384

    bryan21384 Road Train Member

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    The country is in recession. Truckers arent buying steak dinners at the truck stop like they did in 2018.
     
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