Truck driver turnover - why so high?

Rainman how come you never answer my questions?

 

I wrote down all the company's I worked for and my reason for leaving them:

two (2) company's failed to pay me for work I did and/or didn't pay me for my reimbursements.

three (3) company's went out of business also without paying for the last week or two of work.

one (1) company was bought out by Swift who refused to pay me for the work I did the week of the buy out and then said I lived outside their hiring area.

one (1) company changed ownership and changed the pay and the cost of health insurance doubled and covered less and cancelled eye insurance

one (1) company I had to move 1,300 miles away due to family issues and that was outside their hiring area

 

Turnover rate more applies to OTR trucking rather then say local trucking... I have done OTR and I have been Local for about 8 years.... I am more happier doing local then I am OTR... I have worked for local companies making anywhere from $16/hr to my current $28/hr... Now I love getting paid $28/hr and excellent benefits but I was also happy at the $16/hr job over OTR.. I couldn't deal with the lifestyle of OTR and although local work has it's disadvantages (ie. more traffic, more A-Hole drivers, higher chances of accidents both hwy and local streets, repetitive shippers/receivers sometimes (boring) etc..).... I don't even think I would do OTR unless I was getting paid big money (more then $35/hr)... I mean I could save more as OTR but this was because I didn't frequent truck stops and the bigger part was I didn't have much of a life (your alone and gone for weeks on end).... I spend more cause I am home everyday, see friends and buy more things... So like I said I would think OTR has a bigger turn over rate over Local...

I agree with the other comments tho... I think trucking has become the "job to fall back on" kind of industry.. I would say a high percentage of people that come to trucking do so because a) they have a career change from a higher job to trucking getting paid less b) It's so easy to get into trucking that people want to take the easy way out rather then go to school ..... Both of those types of people will most likely fall.... You don't get into trucking because of the money or because it's easy to get a CDL and trucking job.. I think trucking is in your blood you either can do it or you can't there is no in-between.. I have always loved trucks and machinery as a young boy. I always said I was gonna be a truck driver and/or heavy machine operator and/or garbage man (oops!!! I mean Sanitation Engineer).. Well guess what I have been all 3 of those and loved all of them, I am still a trucker and heavy machine operator... The money never stop me from doing what I love.. Would I love more money (#### right I would) but it's not a deciding factor on what I want to do with my life.. I would rather do what I know I love to do rather then making huge money not loving what I am doing... I mean I am a trucker for life, but that doesn't mean I have to be a OTR driver.. I love trucking but I don't love the OTR lifestyle so rather then quit the industry I looked locally and here I am enjoying my career and lifestyle

This industry is high paying for everyone BUT the drivers... This is a sad but true statement.. The industry is so big that the truckers have lost control and this is a reason why we have lost the higher paying jobs... The truckers need to take the industry back over, but how do you do this??? Surely it's too hard to halt all trucking in the US and Canada to make a stand... You could never organize something this large and be effective.. Even if you could the big mills would be pumping more people willing to work for low wages just to work... So I think we as a industry will never be able to make a change...

 

This right here is the "Ah ha moment" for many professions.

 

maybe its not about a strike but about a large group of people just getting together and voicing their opinion to the right people ... I for one think change is possible ... but I dont have a solution, though I hope for one

 

The changes in HOS came about because a certain large group of people made large contributions to key politicians . HOS rules are for sale to the highest bidder .

 

It started with delegulation.Then around the time Barbara Walters did her ''Highway Killers'' episode on National TV....

Then it took off with Mothers Against Tired Truckers..Then it became evident many many Politicians realized they can make Billions off the working man....So they jumped on the band wagon....

Now we are Government Property...

 

... well I've been government property before it's not that bad ... at least we're civilians ... sort of

 

I have to agree with all of the things these other drivers have mentioned. A lot of people that know me express their wishes to look into being a truck driver. As much as I LOVE my chosen career, I have to tell them the truth of it. When you first start out, you will more than likely be paid less than you would working at a fast food chain. You may have $200 dollars a week to show for your work, or you may actually owe the company money that week (after deductions for your benefits, etc.). You will live at work, sleep at work, and sometimes take your 34 hour restart at work. It would be like sleeping on a cot in your office after 14 hours of work every day until you reach the 70 hours in 8 days mark- then taking 34 hours "off" at which time you continue to sleep on the cot (and clean your office, shower, do your laundry, etc.) unless you are lucky enough to get to (and afford) a hotel room. Then you start the process all over again until you are lucky enough to get home for a few days (may be anywhere from 3 to 5 weeks or more with some companies). You will be driving and working in extreme weather conditions. You may step out of your truck in a drop lot and be up past your ankles in snow, mud, or water ( and then have someone from the office screaming at you because the mud made it take 45 minutes to do a 15 minute drop and hook job). It is not for the faint of heart or the person who expects to make a lot of money and be home a lot in the first year. But in spite of all of these things, I love what I do. I love the sound of my idling truck. I love the smell of diesel. I love the sunsets and the solitude. I love the feeling I get at the end of a hard day's work. It just is something that is in your blood, or it is not. I can't explain that- but I think it helps explain the high turnover. Starter companies can be difficult to work for and deal with. Combine that with what I and the other drivers have listed as the down-side of the profession, and it is understandable why turnover is high. But there are good companies out there, and their turn over is a whole lot less!

 

Well said Lady_truck

In the beginning its tough cause of what lady said ... So hang in there guys.

You know I saw an article about why the turnover rate and it said number one reason was because of wait times for loading, unloading. It was in the Atlanta newspaper ... Don't know the name of the paper. Anyone else read this?