What I've gotten from browsing here...

Mcdonalds/Walmart won t even touch a driver with under 5 years exp let alone a student/rookie

 

i think they were talking about flipping burgers....not driving them down the road. I for one think things are gonna get better. Maybe i am insane....or just optimistic

 

When he first posted, he wasn't attacking this forum or its members. He was just being a bit blunt about what he's been getting from the posts more and more. He may have been a bit petty with his response to the attitude that he received, but I don't blame him. Frankly, I've been seeing the same things he has. Times are tough for everyone, trucker and non-trucker alike. We're just desperate to find work. You have to remember that you who are in the industry have the true perspective, whereas we noobs don't have a clue and have to rely on what we're reading here. It's scary business.

In the past three weeks on monster, there were only 8 new job postings for my area (plus three more today), none of which I'm qualified for. I had hoped to turn to trucking, not because I think it's easy, but because I drove a deuce in the army years ago and loved it. I had always thought that trucking would be one of the last industries brought down by the economy because goods need to be moved all the time, but the posts I'm seeing suggest that I was wrong or the economy is a lot worse than I thought it was. More than anything, I think people here got mad because of the fear of how bad things really are, because what he said at first wasn't wrong, only blunt. I think it was wrong to label him a troll, but what do I know. I'm just an unemployed veteran with four kids and a wife to feed.

 

If you read the first post, he immediately goes after one of the "old timers" on this thread. And stays sarcastic, and looking for trouble thru page 3 and 4. Criticising spelling and grammar, just making an aers out of himself and the posts.

Re-read the whole thread, you will see what I am saying.

 

First of all , don't rely too much on what you read here or what you hear from recruiters . Get government data like Department Of Labor monthly reports on growing unemployment in the trucking industry.
Why does everyone think trucking isn't affected by the economy? People have less money, they buy less ,less moves, less trucks and drivers are needed . Freight is at its lowest level in 5 years. http://www.bts.gov/press_releases/2009/bts011_09/html/bts011_09.html
If there were jobs available that were worth taking the tens of thousands of experienced out of work drivers would take them .

 

We live in a nation where everyone is allowed their opinion, we take part in a forum owned by Wiseone who allows us to express our opinions. You have yours, I have mine. It's just that simple. RickG and I don't always agree but we do always agree or disagree with mutual respect. (Right Rick? Say yes or I'll smack you with my pointy stick)

As to researching the industry, there are no simple answers and a person won't find all the information they need by simply reading a few posts. The forum helped me a great deal but I also did a great deal of research elsewhere on my own.

As to recruiters: I'll tell you something my Daddy taught me at a very young age "recruiters lie". My Daddy was a military recruiter for a few years and it's been my experience through the years that he was correct. Recruiters are not your friend, they're not doing you a favor. Their job is to recruit. They get paid for it. So did I believe everything our recruiter told us? No way. And don't get me wrong, I like our recruiter!

Rick's right, the industry is at a low. I disagree with him that there aren't jobs worth having. But he'll certainly disagree with me and the choice I made as to the company I work for.

I don't know much at all, but what I do know........I learned. I hope you find your information, a path to follow and a salary to support your family. I'm enjoying our path and having a wonderful time doing it.

 

Thanks for the responses. I tried looking at the bls.gov website, but their occupational outlook data is apparently dated and incorrect (perhaps one of the reasons outsiders don't understand how bad things are). Guess I need to turn elsewhere for a career change. Thanks again.

 

For clarification, I haven't spoken with a recruiter and don't intend to do so--I'm not that young or naive. I did research elsewhere, but came here because the government isn't always a great source of current information or because I didn't know where to go to get useful data like the link you just posted. I had hoped to simply hear truth here from the folks in the trenches. Thanks again.

 

There is a lot of disagreement on jobs worth having . Some say any job is better than no job and will work for $.22 a mile getting 1500 miles a week or less. Others expect a decent wage for their efforts . But many never get jobs. The oversupply of applicants continues to grow . http://www.kionrightnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=9934035
And Nana , I don't disagree with any choice you made . Sounds like it's working for you .