Driver Shortage? Misery?

How long have you been out of the industry, that you cannot show adequate work history? Or verifiable work history.
In the course of thirty years I've stopped driving twice for a couple years each. And never had a problem getting right back in the game. And I'm 50 years old.
Just wondering is all

 

No shortage of "I've been doing LOT's of research, and I've narrowed my choices down to Werner, Swift, CREngland, and CRST. Which one should I go with? Please tell me only what I want to hear and nothing I don't."

Lot's of research. And this is the "educated" wannabe driver. Picked up some flyers at a travel center. Get's online at google or any other engine search and asks 'which trucking company should I go with?' and the search brings them to TheTruckersReport. And even after reading post after post after post warning them not to go to a company, they read threads like these and think, "Well the people that were having trouble were all dummies with low IQ. I am educated, I even done research. Hey, there is a post of a person that started at Werner/CRST/Swift/England and they have good things to say...maybe this person was educated like me? Well, you have to start somewhere..."

 

Or even more dangerous- they go to that other site and the 6 or 7 newbies that have only worked at Mega’s tell them that the Bottom feeder companies “are the cadillacs of the trucking industry and the only way to go”. Anyone comes in and tries to offer a different point of view and they get banned- ask Chinatown

I’m not making that up, that’s exactly what they say. Then when someone comes back and tells them they’re losing everything because they can’t get any miles they blame the driver. Tell them it’s because of their negative attitude from reading the truckers report.

I can see how someone that really has no clue could be totally confused by it all.

 

Considering official interest rates are below 1 % the higher rate of 11 - 18 % is highway robbery. 6 % would be about right. However if your the one seeking a loan with a poor credit rating i guess the bank is taking all the risk. Otherwise just sign up with a company just check whats in the contract and see if they allow you to pay off the loan quicker cause that's what i'd be doing is making extra payments to get the debt out of the road as quick as possible.

 

Yes the Army will take anyone it seems when ppl aren't really joining. Like when the Afghan and Iraq wars kicked off. The Army started stop loss for different jobs. And had all kinds of recruiting bonuses. And re enlistment bonuses.

 

I was late on a major shipper here in Little Rock once through sheer being tired. I had run too many miles. The load I had on was a woman's make up stuff bound for dallas and probably a high dollar one.

The company had no problem firing me to protect their ability to continue to run that account. I think they were fined a percentage of the haul and frankly it's a waste. They could have docked my pay like my first employers did and I'll take it out of savings and move on with the next load. But that's not the way it's done. You are removed and a unknown newbie dropped into your seat.

 

Ive some medical debt, essentially I walked away from the credit side. No cards, no borrowing etc. I am being treated somewhat as a bad guy for not being part of what our society expects, in debt up to the eyeballs. The medical debt isnt too burdensome but frankly the credit card stuff is a robbery of sorts. Always has been. The rich don't use it and the poor need it and never dig out.

One year we had a bank issued card that had a 20K limit on it. A very good card at 5.8% interest. We maxed it out three times, paid it off three times. Poof all done easy peasy. (Not exactly but that's another topic)

If you want a debt that wont stop eating you up, try student loans etc.

 

Ill repost this again .
I'm looking for a cheap Cadillac in great condition but can't find one .
Does that mean there is a Cadillac shortage ?

 

I tried to read the entire thread but I didn't, try I mean.

What would you tell a 21yo kid that's willing to work to get him interested in trucking? I used to work with a guy that hauls fuel in Vegas, big company, rhymes with gag. They pay hourly but don't pay OT. His kid works for a cold storage that works him 50 hours a week, 10 hours of built-in OT a week. What would you say? Hey kid come work more hours and make less?

In the Seattle area OT is the norm for transportation workers. WA law comes in handy there. Even that doesn't seem to help that much. In the summer ask around at any rack and you can find lots people looking to hire.

I don't really know what the answer is.