How Much Has The Trucking Industry Changed in The Last 30 Years?

They can find any excuse to terminate you . Few dispatchers are stupid enough to send text messages to run illegal like that Crete dispatcher did .
You could file a complaint against the carrier with FMCSA but as far as legal action , it would cost you more to fight it than you would gain .

 

I've only been driving ten years, but my grandfather drove, well still drives, for going on 30 years now, so I have some perspective of what it's like. It's gotten easier, the equipment is nicer. As for running illegal, I won't do it, period. Unlike 30 years ago, they are putting guys away for murder after they kill someone in an accident and their logs are messed up. It's not worth it. The college kid dispatching me isn't going to go down if this happens to me, it's all on me, so I don't let anyone brow-beat me into doing something I can't legally do. Don't do it, if they fire you, so be it. If that's their policy to run illegal, trust me, I know from personal experience that that trucking company won't last that long anyway. As for snow storms, every company I've ever worked for has had a policy that if you are in a bad weather situation, you call them and tell them you are shutting it down, no questions asked. You have to protect your career, that's the bottom line. That truck is your ship and you are the captain.

It has it's downsides. If you are an 8 hour a day guy and go home, you can forget it. There is no other industry in the country where they would allow a company to demand that it's employees show up for work at 6am, then sit in their cars out in the parking lot off the clock until 4-5pm then tell them to come in and work until 2am, but we get that all the time. If you have kids at home and it's important that you be home for every birthday, every holiday, then trucking isn't for you. If your wife or girlfriend is needy, then it's not for you.

All in all, though, I couldn't imagine doing anything else.


One more thing. A lot of companies out there are trying to steer the new guys into leasing the truck....don't fall for it!

 

I can get another job. I only got one career. I'm more concerned about my butt than whose name is on the decal on my door.