talked to a few truckers today and....

Much, maybe even most, of the milk you drink comes from farms with Hispanic workers. Even in VT. Many are documented, some aren't. Sometimes the illegals get hauled off, mostly not. Dairy farmers use them because they are reliable, and don't complain. Farmers gave up on domestic workers. Sad.

 

Again, these are basic labor positions. It does not take a 160 hour course, plus 6 months experience to be hired by a decent company to milk a cow, or shovel $(%*.

I still do not see how someone from india is going to be able to drive a truck from wisconsin to california. Not until the trucks are run by virtual drivers...

Mikeeee

 

I talked to two truckers today. One guy said I could make 6 figures if I go O/O after getting a couple years experience under my belt. The other guy said I'd lose 6 figures if I did exactly the same. Was gonna ask a third driver but I figured he'd just tell me I'd break even.

 

BINGO! Another person who sees the big picture.

 

you are forgetting that a family of 5 does not get driven over and slaughtered by someone falling asleep picking beans.

Mikeee

 

Unfortunately, a lot of Americans are lazy. They don't want to work. They want a paycheck, they just don't think they should do anything for it. I believe it was a mistake for the government to extend unemployment benefits. I used to have jobs listed with a couple of the state employment offices. The state would contact me periodically about drivers who were supposed to have applied to drive. Most of them I never heard of nor have an application on them. They had to submit names where they were supposed to have applied for work in order to keep their unemployment benefits coming in.

If it were not so easy to NOT work in this country, we would have more people who would find employment. There are some industries where you will find more illegals than others. And it isn't always that they are paid less than domestic workers. They are usually willing to work and do what they must to get the job done and get their paycheck at the end of the week. I have done jobs that I didn't particularly like, but I have never taken public assistance. In years past, I have worked at jobs that I was grossly over qualified for, but rather than go on welfare or take a check from the government, I managed to find something to earn money until I could better myself. The problem with may people is that they would rather get welfare or a government check than work at a job that may not pay as much as they want or something that they consider beneath them.

I remember growing up that some families would work two or more jobs to get by and provide for their families. Collecting a government check or welfare was looked down on by most people. Today, it has become the family business with many people.

If you don't like your wages, either find something else to do or get some training where you can make yourself more valuable to the marketplace. Stop complaining and do something to help yourself.

 

They will when corporate America succeeds in making the job of a trucker, a job "Americans won't do".

 

Personally I don't see trucking going anywhere. Shortsighted civil planing has made way to many towns/cities too far off the rail network, you can't just land a plane anywhere, and ships need water.

So even if you could do 90% of the travel by another method, the last 10% is going to be driven.

CSA will clear the ranks a bit, and the days of the outlaw-cowboy trucker are proably at an end. But there's a good generation's worth of "old school" heading off into the sunset too.

If you can find a niche, and exploit it, you WILL get a job. Keeping it depends on your "other" skills, customer interaction, abillity to find new leads for sales, a good relation with your company.

Right now I've "marketed" myself as a guy willing to take a 48' trailer into Manhattan 6 nights a week. Not a lot of "A" drivers are willing to do that. So, BOOM, there's my market.