Honest answers

ahhhhhhhhhhh....... i love this place...... well according to a select few.....its all over. no hope. lets go stand in the cheese line or start building our shelter for the end of the world. i could sit here and go on and on blah blah blah blah.....but it wont do any good...they'll argue till their blue in the face. if your over 50 and you want to drive. do it ! if it dont work at least you tried. i got into this with a plan. the plan might not work but i got one. its better than mcdonalds...and if not.........treat me nice when you come to mcdonalds or when i greet you at walmart.

 

RickG, that article is 11 months old. Go to that ATA site and you'll find another more recent information. I'll let you dig that out. But when you do you'll see the attrition rate and even with companies shutting down their training programs it won't be long before they have to start them up agian. Shocky and I had good joust over this in another post. I'm that optomist and he's the pesimest. In short I think, based on current market conditions in the US we should start our recovery next summer late and progress through the next 18 - 24 months.

So if you can get in now and are abel to go for a year or so at a low wage by living extremely frugaly you should be able reep the benifits of the recovery first.

 

gas hauler has a valid point....

You have got to start at the bottom and pay your dues...i hate that sad reality myself but i have to go with gas hauler on this one.....

It is what it is and yes it sucks.it sucks bad....it will take about 2 years to start seeing how your hard work pays off..

If you last that long,which most dont today.they job jump or quit...

 

This article is current with some good numbers in it but lets look at them for a moment. First we are considered fully employed at around 3% so citing the numbers in the article we are only at a working rate of 91% compare that to what every other naysayer that concentrates on the class is half empty instead of half full. In this example it's ALLOT more than half full.

Next lets look at the natural attrition rate out of this industry coupled with job losses due to companies shutting down. Do the math yourselves, at the current rate of employment times the attrition rate and you will see the positions that will be available and about when.

 

I'd never say don't go for it. But don't be stupid and expect to make 50K+ right out of the gate. It's good you have a plan and it would be very foolish not to. But in that plan you've got to know what to expect as far as what you'll make to live on. Maybe you can afford to live with hardly nothing but some people have families to support and when they believe the recruiters they go out and commit to some lousy company that could care less if they paid the way for their family. So please let us know how your plan works out so maybe some of these guys see a success story. BTW I think a Wal-Mart greeter may make more than a driver in training.

 

I did.

Well... almost. A few $k less. But not much.

Of course, I'm not working for one of those crap companies... just one of the one's that get trashed here all the time. You know... run you to death (not), never get home (yes I do), WY is littered with our wrecks (no it's not.)

Yes, Dorothy... you can make money in trucking the first year!

 

Hello all, I'm a wannabe. I have been reading this forum from top to bottom, side to side, deciding if this is what I wanted to do. After 20 yrs in a factory, that closed Dec. 9 2008 (also put some Swift drivers out of a receiver, they brought the fiber) Being a very small town, this factory was their main employer, there are not many choices as far as jobs. So this is the choice I have made. I'm not looking to get rich (would like to make a living), not looking for a paid vacation (never had one before), not looking for any special treatment, just pay me to do a job and I will do the job I get paid to do. I started at the bottom 20 yrs ago, busted my rear and worked my way up, now its time to do it again. I read a lot of negative things on here, but if you are a driver complaining about your company, at least you have a job to complain about. Thanks for all the info.

 

Now that I can relate to. Much like a previous poster I too have 15+ years in the Tech field and 10 in Construction. Both which are NOT hiring at this particular time. Well...at least not since September and unemployment checks just do NOT pay the current obligations.

 

Trucking is a true staple in this economy. Nearly 100% of all food, medicine and clothes come in on trucks so when people quit needing those things, thats when ill start to worry

What else is out there in the major industries for us to turn to? Real Estate sucks right now, financials are really bad and not to mention the technology sector. The only halfway safe careers are health care and law enforcement and im not trying to change needles or arrest bad guys for 40k a year so trucking seems to be the best of the worst. Every industry is being affected, this could be alot worse.

It will get better boys, just stick it out. Like some of the other drivers before have said, you wont grow alot in this economy or make a million, but at least you can maintain.

I agree with what someone posted earlier about the companies point of view. Some companies and shippers now can care less about how long you have been driving, what kind of truck you have or what your safety record is. If a new guy can get the load there on time and safely for a cheaper rate to their bottom line, they are willing to take the risk. If it doesnt work out from time to time, they will write it off as a loss, and charge it to the game, but more times than not, they will still come out ahead. In a way its kind of good that the industry is going through a shake down, it will get rid of all the wannabe's and just leave room for the real work hands

Whether you think you make it or your think you will fail, you are correct!

Think Big and Win Big and Ill See You At The Top!

Mr. Win Big

 

It's twue!
It's twue!

YeAH!
Not to mention I'm a baaadd man ----->
And sometimes devil's advocate -----> :smt077

Good gawd!
I think I agree with you, Mr. Binder.
Imagine that and go figure.