The driver shortage (solved)

Overall average driver pay could double next week but next month, the same driver churn problem will still be occurring.

Either they just can't master the job or they will continue chasing pennies thinking the grass is greener over there.

Give them one thing, then they'll want the other thing [too]

 

Years ago OTR pay was above average compared to ho-hum service industry jobs, meaning there were lots of already employed people that would get a pay raise going OTR.

Now, between jails, military, etc recommending OTR as a "rescue option",a flood of immigrants, and pay raises outside of OTR, lack of work ethic in young people, there are relative fewer people willing to have a marriage by phone and other hardships of OTR.

Business in general, is squeezing out excess costs. Trucking companies are abundant like ants. There is no market pressure that can generally raise freight rates that could pay significantly higher wages for drivers. Trucking companies can get tiny efficiencies that would support a penny or so raises , but not 30 CPM raises. So the easy effort looks to be looking for "drivers" among people that see $30k per year as hitting the jackpot.

The OP is right. The industry has the drivers that pay & conditions attract.

 

There is a problem with quality but not quantity.

They pay what the market accepts, if there were a license that was harder to get, then there would line less drivers and more money to give those who are already licensed.

 

They wont pay me 1.00 a mile that I might ask for and deserve for my experience.

not when they can pay 3 immigrants say .32 to start and revenue three times the money off them and three trucks for one of me.

 

The problem with quantity is no one knows how to drive anything but autos these days. Nor do they understand how to run hos without a machine.

And that's just a couple of reasons.

 

Okay but so what? Autos and eLogs are here to stay. We can argue about the other inherent problems associated with the "new breed drivers" but they'll be here long after you and I are dead and gone ... working their eLogs, flipping their trans selector, and occasionally running in auto-drive mode for 2-3 hours at a time, working for just enough to modestly support a small family, no more, no less.

 

UPS and the high paying LTL's
dont have the high turnover rates the irregular route truckload carriers do (OTR). Pre deregulation the industry had relatively low turnover rates. If you pay correctly they will come and stay, that's how markets work.

 

We could solve homelessness and hunger if we made cannibalism legal. Just let the hungry people eat the homeless people. Problem solved.