Millis is getting worst on who theu want
Young inexperienced seems to be the trend. They are becoming a cdl mill soon it will be all trainers amd students
application denied
Discussion in 'Millis' started by MrIT, Dec 18, 2013.
Page 4 of 10
-
Solo_Seat, L.B., slim shady and 1 other person Thank this.
-
Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds
Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.
-
-
Ok but I never drove a truck before but I have been driving for coach usa for a year now.
-
. The name of the game from here on out is recruiting, training and retention.
[TABLE="width: 300, align: right"]
[TR]
[TD][h=2]Why do so many carriers continue to experience difficulty finding new drivers?[/h]
Among the 1,344 respondents to the above OverdriveOnline.com poll, more than 100 readers submitted comments, including these:
Wade: Carriers with solid business models and management are not struggling to find drivers. Carriers with weak business models and weak management teams make excuses instead of positive changes.
JW: If they are going to be regulating by the hour, then they need to begin paying by the hour multiplied by 70 to 80 hours a week. I am finally getting back into trucking after a four-year leave and can honestly say it is out of control. I was a fuel desk cashier for the past six months, and it amazed me the quality of drivers being hired these days!
Jrs2slow: If you got into trucking and thought you were only going to work 40 or even 50 hours a week, its time to think again. And after 27 years of driving both OTR and local and seeing what is happening with drivers and companies, I knew it was only a matter of time before the government dropped the boom on everyone, and that is what they have done.
Bob Moore: [The driver shortage] is due to FMCSA changing the rules (HOS) without knowing much about trucking. Our pay rates not increasing much over the years doesnt help much. Also, companies treating drivers like we are a dime a dozen has caused a lot of the problems.
Lowridin Truck Drivin: I think a lot of it has to do with these starter companies. While theyre great at helping new drivers get a start, theyre like puppy mills, churning out drivers with no plan for retention. Thats why most new drivers dont make it past six months with their first company. They feel abused and left hung out to dry.
Fred Flintstone AKA Big Al P: First off, the trainers are not from the OLD SCHOOL and have no idea what makes a Professional Truck Driver. Today we have Steering Wheel Holders! Trainers are not from the old school where we had time to help one another.
Martymarsh: I worked for a guy that had seven trucks, and he said that there is only one secret to keeping drivers: Tell them what you are going to pay them, and then pay them. In the three years I was there, he didnt need to hire any drivers. I would still be there if he hadnt sold the business.
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
Maverick, a longtime flatbed carrier that has expanded by adding specialized glass and refrigerated divisions, is almost back to its pre-recession seated truck count.
Williams calls 2012s turnover normal at 58 percent, which is well below the industry average for large truckload carriers typically about 100 percent. Maverick also grew by 250 trucks, its best total for a year without an acquisition. Along with financial and safety performances that were stellar, the year was the companys best ever for recruiting, he says.
By this summer, the fleet was reduced by 105 trucks, while turnover was up slightly. However, recruiting statistics are unbelievably different, as Williams details.
Year-to-date in 2012: 16,316 leads processed, with 674 drivers hired; YTD 2013: 30,210 leads or nearly double 2012s to-date total yet only 559 hires, or 115 fewer.
Frequency is up, he says. More leads and more apps, but were rejecting an unprecedented number for one reason or another.
Williams points out that Maverick is particularly cautious in its hires: The process includes hair follicle testing and sleep apnea screening. But Williams and Maverick have long advocated strict driver qualifications: Now other carriers must think twice, in the CSA environment, about looking the other way when it comes to new hires with spotty driving records.
Its time to continue to make it difficult to get in this industry and stay in this industry, he says. If you cant cut it, get out.
Given that the economy has not been robust, Williams says the growing supply/demand imbalance is capacity-driven.
When we have little spot surges, like weve had in building materials, there are no trucks to haul it, he says. But a sustained shortage of equipment one that will allow carriers to set consistently higher prices has yet to emerge.
Theres a solution pay drivers more money, Williams says. That attracts better talent. But you cant have just one shipper that sees the light and gives you more money. Youve got to have all the shippers see the light so you can raise your rates across all your lanes.
Plan B: No experience required
For many carriers, a new driver is preferable to an experienced driver with bad habits, especially one with the bad driving history to prove it.
Lou Spoonhour, president of DriveCo and a former chairman of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association, says its about time for such a shift.
Ive been at this for 34 years, and were hearing from trucking companies that Ive never heard the names of before, Spoonhour says. All of a sudden, entry-level is opening up as if its a brand-new field.
[h=5]Theres a solution pay drivers more money . That attracts better talent. But you cant have just one shipper that sees the light and gives you more money. Mavericks Steve Williams on difficulty raising rates[/h]Most CVTA schools also have regular, direct contact with carrier safety departments to stay up to date with hiring criteria.
Sometimes the experienced driver is set in his ways, whereas a student is a clean slate and can be molded, Spoonhour says. Thats what we claim to be our advantage theyre coming out with no extra baggage. Typically, driving school graduates will go on to a carriers finishing school for more advanced training.
The average student age is probably 35 to 40, where it used to be 28 to 33, Spoonhour said. Weve started to get an increase in skilled workers, like electricians, carpenters, plumbers who made a living in the construction trades. Weve found that trucking is a good option for hands-on people. Or they have friends or relatives who drive.
Students also see truck driving as a lasting opportunity that wont be shipped overseas, Spoonhour says.
In order to maintain a 95 percent placement rate for its 200 to 300 students each year, DriveCo screens extensively. Students have to be able to pass a physical and a drug screen, and theyre subject to random drug tests while in school. Additionally, the school checks the prospective students driving record and criminal history. Pre-enrollment interviews are designed to make sure the students understand trucking and that the business will be a good fit with their personal goals.briarhopper and mmgreene1 Thank this. -
Check out Wel Companies. They are willing and will normally hire with any conviction over 7yrs. Been here about two years and find it a good co.
lazygecko Thanks this. -
You are better off without Millis, that company is literally headed to he11 in a handbasket...
If you like in cab driver cameras, forced fuel stops of their chosing, not to mention the typical deadbeat drivers you find at most bottom feeder outfits, this is the place for you. The owners along with drivers have made some huge mistakes over the last 5 years, and it continues to bite them all where it hurts...in the wallet. -
-
same way elogs were "voluntary" at first for a select few at your company -
tntim Thanks this.
-
What gets me about all the whining about the cameras... The ambulance service I work for uses the SAME CAMERAS in all of the trucks. I assure you, if it were a big brother kind of thing, we'd know. We have plenty of goofy ##### in the field that would probably get in a heap of trouble if it were the "constant surveillance" type deal. They only go off when the sensors detect the "critical events," which usually correlate to changes in vehicle speed, altitude, or direction that indicate a possible moving violation. It has saved our ##### in several instances where people ran into our ambulances but claimed it was our driver's fault. It also buried a driver who was claiming a car just stopped in front of him but he was on the phone.
I know people hate change, but geez.stevenneill Thanks this.
Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds
Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.
Page 4 of 10