"Stable work history")

The new drivers on this board will not hear the warnings to stay away from the companies with high turnover. The newbiescalways have an excuse why they can work at the bad companies and still avoid the consequences. The newbies are in a hurry to work for the bad companies andvthe bad companies are in a bigger hurry to hire them. You cannot protect someone from themself.

 

You make it sound so simple.

Ever have a travel agent that lied about EVERYTHING? I had one. Her default setting was set on “Liar: when asked a question, any question at all, no matter how insignificant, answer with a lie.” Use it to your advantage.

“Hey Six, could you do me a favor? I would be eternally grateful!” (can someone translate this for me?)

“Six, you need to take a load and move out. There are no more loads coming out of this area.”
(There’s a high dollar load coming down the pipes, and I need you gone so one of my pet drivers can grab that load.”)

“Six, let me know when you want to go home and I will schedule your home time.”
(Every load going towards the house will be offered at a greatly reduced rate.)

Are there any loads going towards X?
“No, there’s no loads going towards X.”
K, I’m gonna grab a motel. Call me when there’s a load going towards X.
“Hey Six, this just popped up. Here’s a load going towards X!”

“We treat our drivers like family.”(We pay really cheap rates.)

 

There's companies who want a good stable job history because they 1, have a ton of applications for a few positions , 2 they want drivers who will put up with what ever they get delt , 3 it's a specialized type of gig that not just anyone can jump into. Iv heard prime and tmc are picky but both places suck to work at they just want drivers who don't know the word no and like to suck up. Some carriers know you will leave anyways so they don't care, like K&B they know you won't stay so they know you will hop .

 

Yes, I may be in the middle of a job hopping trap now. I didn't do enough research on the last company I worked for. The individual driver cannot easily detect if the company culture is dishonesty. But if that driver (me, you, newbie, etc) gets info from current or recently departed other drivers at the company lots of problems can be avoided.

Good companies are trying to protect them self from job hoppers by asking questions like "how many jobs in the last 5 years?"

 

"No more than X jobs in Y years"

"At least 1-2 years experience"

"No traffic convictions, even in a personal vehicle"

"A laundry list of background checks, pre-employment drug screening, verifying dates and references of previous employment, and a whole bunch of other red tape"

And coming soon: Mandatory trucking school, on-the-job experience means nothing.

Ta-daaa, "trucker shortage"

 

What is it about your current job that is the dealbreaker? Just curious.

 

I drove all over the Pacific Northwest. I drove all last winter in it. I got tired of living in the truck after 14 months. No matter how hard I would run I got the feeling the company wasn't happy with my performance. I drove 130k miles in my last 9 months. That's a yearly pace of 175k miles, which I would consider above average. I didn't track how many miles I drove in the months before that. The signals I was picking up suggested I was considered one of the lower performing drivers. I had a huge nest-egg and was tired of running so I came back home. I'm trying to change careers back into flying. We'll see.

 

I must live in the Twilight Zone.

11 years at the same company - Swift.
That is the longest I have ever been at any company, and I turn 66 this month.

Why?
A system that I can work with to my advantage is one reason.
With few exceptions I have run the hours that I like best.

Another reason, maybe the main reason, is the people I have worked with.
From day one they have all been supportive and pretty much let me do things in my own way.

The turnover rate is because very few are happy where they are at, and so seek greener grass - too often in a browner patch, and then they move yet again.

 

The newest driver where I work has been there over 11 years. Not all places have a high turnover rate.

 

The reason I got a CDL was for the opportunity to change whenever I felt I needed a change. Also because my husband got transferred every 5 years or so. Not only will I move on 'cause the family is moving on, I will move on 'cause the job sucks and my time on this earth is limited.