Barr-Nunn

I retired in 2006 after 42 years in trucking. during that time I worked for 5 different companies. Your relationship with your employer will depend on you.

 

Some of us have been in this industry for what seems like a lifetime. In my case, 43 years. I have always been a company driver. I came to work at my current company 10 years ago knowing that if it was a good fit for myself, I would stay until retirement in ‘24. Living in South Florida, my choices of OTR with a reputable company was slim pickings. I’ve lived in South Florida since 1980 so I know what trucking is like here.

The influx of Cuban refugees in the early 80’s ruined local trucking. To this day, it’s a nightmare. Fast forward to today, and all I think about is July 1, 2024. I’ve had my retirement in place for many years, I only hope and wish that the industry I’ve been in the last 43 years allows me to finish the plans I have put in place. Yeah, I’m very vocal about this industry, it’s gone to hell the last 15 years. I’ve seen it, live it and just shake my head. I stand by my statement about ALL these company’s. In time, they’ll only be a few major companies that will have a complete control on this industry. The corporation that the company I work for, Abilene, is owned by Knight/Swift Holdings, just like Swift, Barr-Nunn, AAA Cooper, MME, a couple of big brokerage companies are as well. Everyone of them are wholly owned subsidiaries of Knight, are run independently, except that the corporate policies are infused in each company.

Am I jaded? Nope. I’ve lived it, experienced it and have earned the right to voice my opinion. You asked at one time if I feel the way I do, why would I stay at the company for 10 years. Well, here’s why, after 10 years here, 1.2 million accident free, ticket free miles, 100% OTD freight movement, I get to work my schedule, go home when I want to, run where I want to, and know all our customers and their quirks. I get to work 9 months out of the year with 3 months off. That comes to 7 days off every 21 days. With all my time off, I still make on average in the low $80’s. So if you do your due diligence, I make nothing like what is advertised. Will any driver that comes to anyone of these wholly owned subsidiaries make that and get those same perks? Nope. It took me 5 years to get to this point.

I trained at my company the first 5 years, I saw first hand what they were told, promised and how they were treated. It made them quit. They are lied to, promised things that never came to fruition, and treated by uneducated trucking people. In my particular company, we can’t attract seasoned drivers, they haven’t hired a true trucking person in the 10 years I’ve been here. I’ve been through 17 DM’s, one worse than the previous. Everyone of them coming on board with zero trucking experience. Out of 45 people that work in operations, 5 have a CDL.

Let’s not get on the subject of a certain segment of drivers out here that are causing death, destruction and chaos. In case you’re wondering who, they’re all driving wide open trucks and have middle eastern decorations all over the trucks. They also are the ones you see in all the tow yards mangled to pieces. Trust me, I have pictures taken every week across I-40 in Arizona and New Mexico to prove it. I tell my wife every time I leave, that if she ever gets that phone call, it’s because someone took me out, not because of anything I’ve done. I could sit here all day and expound on what’s wrong with this industry. But I’ll end by saying this, what has happened in the last 15 years to this industry, has trickled down to every last company out here. So yes, my opinion, and mind you, it’s just mine, based on what I’ve seen the last 43 years, is all I see. If any one of these companies were as good as they tout themselves, why are they all so hard up to hire any one that can fog a mirror?

 

You’re not wrong.