Dream driving job...

You will get a different answer from almost everyone.
This is the reason why not ever company is good for every driver.
For me I prefer to get paid more money for less work. I use to want the maxed out miles. If I was not getting 3300+ miles per week I was feeling shorted. I only wanted to be home a few days per month, but when I wanted those days I needed to be home on those days, no delay.

I also expect to be treated as a person, and as a valued member of the team. Not as a piece of equipment that is easy to replace.
Over time my mileage requirements have changed. As have my home time requirements. I now expect to be home weekends. I expect to average at least 2100 miles per week, I prefer 2200. And I expect to still make 45k+ per year. I was making 50k+ per year when I was running hard and not getting home.
But I got burned out over time. I had no life outside of trucking. And I am a person, not a machine.

I would prefer to be getting paid more than I am. I believe that the work I am doing is worth 55k per year. And that is with every weekend home. The truck is still earning over 4 grand every week, even with the rates being much lower than they should be.
The trucking industry needs to come together on this, and rates need to go up a great deal from where they are now. I have hopes that eventually we will really have a massive driver shortage, and that the shippers will be hard pressed to find trucks to move their freight.
At that point I believe we may finally start to get the rates we need to be a money making industry again.

I can say for sure. Every driver expects to feel like a needed part of the team. Most drivers these days expect to be able to have a life outside of work. I believe that is a big leap. Since the days of being on the road months at a time and loving it are gone for most drivers.

Look at Walmart company drivers. They are well paid. They have great benefits. They are all experienced long term drivers. And most will not leave till they retire. They run hard for their driving shifts. They may be on 4 days, 5 days, 7 days, 9 days. Depending on the schedule they are on. Then they are home for several days. Pay is at the top of the industry. Making 70k+++ per year. Many much more than that. They run their butts off while working, but have a good work life balance.

 

NEVER lie to your drivers, once your credability is gone the respect and loyalty goes with it

 

And stand up to the shipper and consignee.

Never accept poor behavior on the behalf of either of them towards your employees. EVER. Even if it means finding a different customer.

 

After 31+ years of this I think I can qualify to answer this. My dream job? Not having to run 3500 miles per week to make a decent living. The 2800 miles per week I run on average works just fine for me. I equate running a bunch of miles with less home time.

Home time is very important. Give me 2 full days off a week then run me the 2800 miles in the remaining 5 days. Don't send me somewhere to deliver then sit me while you try to find freight to get me back. Was it a surprise when you booked the load to BFE that I was going to call in empty, just to hear you say "No Freight"?

Is there anything wrong with adding in good pay with the above miles? I don't think, with this much time under my belt, and I might add, no accidents, 1 speeding ticket and no late deliveries in this short 31 years, I should not be making less than 60K per year.

Preplanning. Boy does that take a lot of Idle time out from a driver. Nothing like going down the road to your delivery and having your reload in hand.

I know it's a trucking company, pressure cooker atmosphere, but please, treating me with a pleasant attitude when I call in sure makes for a good start of the day.

I know I get paid by the mile, have reimbursements, lumper fee's and maybe an out of pocket expense in order to get your truck down the road, but can you make sure my pay check is correct every week? The last thing I need is to chase after a mistake for a week.

That is just what I consider the top things on my list. Every driver might have something different. All I can say is what I went through 31 years ago when I first started has given me the opportunity to get these things I wrote about. It's a shame it took me this long to achieve it. I have told everyone I know, including the people I work for that this is my last job in trucking. I'm 56 and am looking towards the end of my driving career, not the start of another job. I love this profession, grew up in it, and said at a very young age I will be doing this one day. I hope, and pray that when folks like yourself come along with your attitude that something good comes out of it, not for me, but for the new drivers following behind me. I put up with all the garbage when I first started, went through a divorce because of it, missed so much of my daughters growing up. Now I finally have, not the "perfect job", but pretty darn close.

The things I missed, the garbage I went through are an afterthought, but none the less part of me. I want people like you, with your determination, to make things right and succeed, God only knows we need it.

 

Try to always be as fair as you can with all your drivers. If someone comes to you with an issue try to resolve it quickly as possible. However, expect the same from your drivers.

My dispatcher knows I will always give him everything I can to get the job done and I know he fixes it when I can't make it happen.

No company or dispatcher can please all the drivers all the time. Honesty and respect from all parties goes a long ways in smoothing out the rough places along the way.

 

They've pretty much said it all and I'll add some twists...... I like what you like, holidays, weekends, family, good pay and respect.

Model yourself like Walmarts private fleet , simple. Not recruiting cost, no retention dept., no turnover costs and a happy group of drivers doing what you need done.

JMO

 

I have hopes that eventually we will really have a massive driver shortage, and that the shippers will be hard pressed to find trucks to move their freight.

I believe that is coming...soon enough. Employing a warm body is no longer an option for most. Large ( Chemical ) shippers are looking at CSA scores hard and that suits me fine, only increases my value.

We have had 2 rollovers this year by warm bodies already. The last one will cost close to 500k when the smoke clears. I'm sure our ins. carrier has had something to say.

 

Accomadate your drivers as best you can , some want to be home weekends others want to be gone 3 weeks at a time ' I try to our best to do that not the other way around keeps them .

Keep then informed and listen to their ideas and suggestions you would be surprised on some of the input you get that makes it better for everyone.

 

First let me thank you for this thread and thank everyone for their responses.

I'm just getting started in trucking. In fact, I'm just in the research and learning phase before I start CDL school in August.

I have learned many things while researching companies and participating on this forum, but there is one thing that I've learned that has helped me make the decision to get into this industry...

The perception I had of truckers and the industry were not totally accurate. Trucking as in all other aspects of life has it's good and bad. That goes for companies, drivers, dispatchers, etc. And, even though stereotypes seem to dominate our perceptions they do not encompass everyone. I have found that many people on here are not a part of that stereotype I previously held to be true. This thread is but another example of that!

Thank you all again!!