All newbies please read (The real scoop here)

Thanks Panicstricken for that excellent summary .My 21 year old son got his CDL from Smith@Solomon and applied to several companies;the only one willing to take him is Werner at their Allentown terminal. He currently has a groundskeeper position 8-4 40 hrs per week with paid vacation and sick time;but only makes $10 per hour. He wants to be a trucker after listening to a older coworker who use to drive otr but was blinded in one eye by a tiedown strap .He tells him about the tons of money he used to make .My son also shows me the slick brochures and the promises they make about pay etc. I wanted to here a truckers side of the story and thats how I found your message (ain't computers wonderful and aren't you glad Al Gore invented the internet?) Anyhow I bookmarked your message so he has an clue about what he's in for. He was supposed to report to Allentown April 1, but his boss told him to stay until his brother gets out of college to take his slot at the camp mid May. In the meantime we're trying to find something local but they all want experience so he's probably going to Werners school of hard knocks.The recruiter didn't care that he wasn't comin ing right away he said just call when ready and they would set up a new orientation date. Thanks. whosedog

 

So instead of making $400 a week with benefits and having a comfortable bed every night he wants to go on the road for weeks at a time and only make $300 a week ? Haven't you read all the posts by drivers getting only 1,000 miles a week ? You haven't read the posts advising not to leave a present job to go trucking ? Werner keeps reducing their fleet . They have half as many trucks as they had 3 years ago . So why do they keep hiring ? They keep hiring because people keep quitting . Why do you suppose that is ? And don't believe that $.35 sense a mile crap . Check posts here and you'll see Werner starts newbies at $.26 a mile -1970's wages .
From the WERNER CARES-SHOULD BE WERNER SCARES THREAD

 

Excellent advice Rick...

I would tell your son to sit tight at least until the economy improves and all the displaced workers driving down wages and miles are weeded out of the industry.

If he waits for the right time he should be able to avoid Werner which is generally considered a bottom feeder for drivers to start with.

 

Read,...Read....,and read some more.

 

I just turned my tractor in today at Swift. 29 miles for the week so far! I have had 1 paycheck that was ok, mostly I have been starving. They keep hiring more drivers with tons of them sitting in the terminals with no loads. My buddy from school is at May Trucking and he is doing WAY better than me..

Not sure what I'll do now, look for local and in my old industry as well. I refuse to be mobile hobo slave being paid 70's wages. OTR is a racket!

I suggest you stay at your current job until trucking improves, too many new drivers (like me) driving down the wages. Even with that magical 1 year, your prospects aren't much better. I sat in the driver's lounge yesterday with two other drivers, one is turning his truck in when he gets home, the other has an application in to sell mobile phones...

 

Thanks;telco,tran,groove and rick.After reading your comment's to my son he's decided to stay at his camp job until he finds something better than Werner.He's applied to fedex,seebreeze,ups,and our town's DPW .( he heard they need a cdl driver from one of his fire department buddies).All of these job's pay an hourly rate better than $10 per hour, with bennies and ot.He will keep trying until something clicks. I wish I could get him into the Board of Ed where I am, but they only hire when someone retires. It's amazing how the the jobs section of our local paper shrunk from 3 or 4 pages of ads to less then half a page. Well it's always the darkest just before the dawn or somthing to that effect. Well I wish you all the best and thanks again for your advise. whosedog

 

I'm glad you listened. Fedex is going to have a lot of problems . They are nonunion and facing a change in regulations that could allow the Teamsters to move in.It could get nasty . I'd go with the city job . That offers much more security and chance of advancement.

 

I love happy endings.... "Group Hug"?