Career Change at 53

As long as he isn't dead or too magled to drive a new one, that is....

 

What does that tell ya?LOL

 

take a good look at the Fed/Ex drivers these days, they gone cheap labor.

 

No doubt on that!

I couldn't believe it when hubby told me about that. And this was during some nasty weather and road conditions too.

 

I have seen Swift, Crete, JB Hunt, US Xpress, Covenant and many others laid on their sides or in the median. Statistically, you should see more accidents with a larger carrier than a smaller one since they have so many more trucks. I believe that Swift's safety rating has come down from what it was a couple of years ago. That is a good thing. The lower the safety rating the better. It works backwards from most other types of ratings. Swift gets a lot of ribbing due to their slow trucks. At one time they were governed at 55 mph, as I recall. JB Hunt gets the same thing. I would not do one of their fleece purchase deals, but I have spoken to drivers who had been with Swift for several years and were happy with them. Most of the time problems arise from a lack of communication between the driver and their dispatcher or driver manager.

Most carriers will try to get drivers home when they need to be there, but that isn't always possible. Some drivers get upset when they don't get their way about something and rather than trying to work things out, quit and go to another carrier. There are also dispatchers who have problems and have poor people skills. It seems that many carriers hire dispatchers right out of college without first having any driving experience. The best dispatchers are those who have driven for a few years before coming into the office.

It is expensive for carriers or any other type of business to try to keep current employees. It is very expensive to constantly recruit and train new people. Most carriers have a 3-5 day orientation. During that time they must put drivers up in a motel and provide transportation from the motel to the orientation center. They must also pay travel expenses for the driver to get to the company orientation center. Some pay drivers while they sit in orientation, others don't. In addition, companies spend many thousands of dollars to run ads and pay recruitment personnel.

If you want things to work out with a carrier, then it is up to you to keep the lines of communication open. If you have a problem with something, talk to your dispatcher or driver manager. If you have a personality conflict or other problem with your dispatcher then see if you can go to his boss and have him assign you a new dispatcher. It is much better to stick with a carrier for at least a year or two. It shows stability. All companies like to see job stability. When we see someone who has a lot of jobs in a short period of time we are reluctant to hire them. It demonstrates to us that this person doesn't like to work problems out and that he is likely to only be with you a short time until he finds an excuse to go somewhere else. Any time you change companies you will lose at least 1-2 weeks pay.

 

Moneymac,
wishing you luck in your new life, I drove forswift about 20 years ago, I made a good living, and I learned alot. Thats the goal, and to do it safely.
Happy Holidays, Safe miles.

Larry