Shortage Schmortage

Your friend would do well to read http://books.google.com/books/about/Empty_seats_and_musical_chairs.html?id=ADsdAQAAMAAJ The gap between what drivers had to say and what managers thought was unbelievable. The managers were clueless.

He should also be aware of "Sweatshops On Wheels" by Michael Belzer and "Pedal to the Metal" by Lawrence J. Ouellet.

The driver "shortage"--and the same reasons for it--have been an ATA talking point since 1980, a significant year for our industry. I agree with you that there's no shortage of drivers, just a shortage of drivers who'll stick around. PM sent.

 

$40k at best? To start sure, but a couple years you can make much more and be home.

 

Decided to pm you instead.

Who says there is a shortage of driver's? I think there is an over abundance of drivers that jump companies regularly. Many new to driving don't last because it doesn't fit their lifestyle desire or personality. Driving a truck is a life style more than a job. Putting uo with the public st their worst (driving) is not easy and isn't for everyone. You either love it, like it, or hate it.

 

I agree with crb I think there is an over abundance. there is always a lot of openings but most are from companies that treat there their drivers like crap and dont care b/c theres another 1000 apps laying on their desk. try to get into a really good job with good w/ good pay and good dispatchers that treat their drivers with the respect and find out how hard it is to get that job. look at their turn over ratio and youll find that they have long time drivers and some turn over but thats the guys that wont be happy anywhere (grass is always greener somewhere else). if there wasnt so many drivers available to take peoples places all the time maybe it would force some of these companies to treat their drivers better. maybe they wouldnt expect the world from the drivers and give them nothing back when they need a little help. soory abou the rambling ill just be quiet now and take all my lumps from all dispatchers on here.lol

 

Exactly!

If there wasn't always somebody willing to fill seat companies would be forced to treat drivers better and pay them better. Look at all the complaints from previous CRengland drivers for instance yet people keep going there. If a company needs drivers quickly they just have to offer s sign on bonus and drivers jump ship for the bonus it seems.

 

It seems to me a large percentage of applicants are filtered out right away because they have a criminal background, a few tickets or a DUI on their DMV or can't pass the company physical. After that you lose even more through the training process when they discover 5 weeks away from home doesn't work for them.

A Mega gets 50 or so hopefuls to show up to training/orientation every other week, and after a year there might be 5 or so still working for them. I wonder how much paying trainees more would help with retention? It seems they've resigned themselves to "churn" with "acadamies" and systems set up for it. Churning low paid newbies and the cost of recruiting and training seems to be the most cost effective approach or they wouldn't do it.

 

If there is a driver shortage, why are store shelves always full? Why are there no stations out of gas? Why, in spite of a recent influx of drivers into the oil/gas fields to meet new demands there and still many [some] drivers sit 6-24 hours waiting on a dispatch in some markets

 

I agree, I don't think that there is a shortage or ever was. What I think there is, is a shortage of people that will work for nothing, which is as it should be. Take a look around at some of the wages that people earn with just a little more education, professional type jobs, why would someone want to come to work in this industry at such a drastic pay cut for the time involved, while at the same time, as mentioned above, you are dealing all day long with people at their worst, which is while they are driving. Not to mention being treated like a piece of trash by shippers, receivers, other drivers, dispatchers and everyone in between. On the day that the motor carriers realize that they need more drivers, they will come up with the money. But before that happens I think that we will continue to see more and more immigrants running up and down the roads.

What I don't understand is how there are so many now, the wrecks in western Nebraska last week I think involved two immigrants from Russia or the surrounding area. There are so many now that it seems like they must have recruiters in other countries and have someone inside the federal government helping to get these people in the country and put to work. There are just to many for it to be random. One of the assistant Prosecutors in western Nebraska was asked by a reporter whether he thought that if the driver in the second wreck had his CB on, would he have been able to understand that there was an emergency ahead, the assistant prosecutor answered that at this time he doesn't have that answer.