What percentage of people make it

2 years ago
9 guys in my CDL class
8 passed
7 still drive
6 are not a danger to the motoring public

 

+1
I am in trucking industry since 1999-2000. Now thinking to go to healthcare industry.. Home healthcare or hospice...

 

100 wanna drive a big truick

50 failed the DOT Medical Either through high blood pressure or vision issues or something else.

50 go to Orientation, 10 are eliminated that leaves 40.

10 Quit training with horribly smelly poor to no hygienic trainer or some other mental health issues that was not detected during Orientation.

That's 30.

12 are run into the ground by dispatcher who delights in huge overnight revenue. Call it and say.. 1200 dollar pick up in Toledo OH asap and deliver to Harrisburg PA 8 am tomorrow?

Driver gets 430 miles to pay at a gross of 146 dollars before taxes and withholding etc By the end of 3 months of being muled by dispatcher they burn out, have a preventable, quit angry, quit tired or get hurt and so on. Always something.

18 left. 8 will in time buy a tractor and get their own authority etc. They essentially no longer are just drivers.

10 left. 6 will run 5 years or more As long their future does not include getting badly hurt, killed or in prison etc.

4? 2 become driving school instructor. Sit in the barrel on the shady corner yelling at you the student to quit screwing up that simple offset and get it done right.

2 will run decades. It's going to be either Death, Doctors ordered force retirement, disability or even just plain sick of the BS.

1 will take his now retired truck and go around the USA visiting shows. Take home racks of trophy.

that leaves 1.

We don't know what happened to him. He probably became a dispatcher. We go through a awful lot of drivers, but #### few dispatchers.

 

Recruiters at large companies are paid a commission once a driver delivers their first solo load. It's a numbers game. A Swift recruiter said that half of folks that go to their CDL school succeed at getting a CDL.

Half of their CDL graduates are accepted to orientation. Of all folks that arrive at orientation, half make it through and are offered a job. Half of trainees successfully finish training and upgrade to run solo.

So the math works out to 6.25% succeed to the point the company trusts them to drive their equipment. Sure, many wash themselves out, but the majority fail at some point. From what I saw going through Swift orientation and later as a trainer, those that fail or that wash themselves out are severely lacking motivation. For many they see trucking as a temporary gig, thought it was going to be easy, and aren't interested in becoming a professional.

Those that are motivated and apply themselves have a much higher success rate.

 

Started in 1987 .
3 divorces.
8 trucks paid off.
Miles unknown.
Most of us that knew when to say when and say no are still alive .
Those that didnt and wouldn't quit smoking or watch what they eat are dead .
I'm 55 now and alot of the people that tought me 30 years ago died of old age in they're late 40s .
I learned from that .

 

When I got my CDL in California a few years ago, the failure rate on the driving test was running at 70%. The failure rate for new owner operators in the first year is also around 70%. Not sure how many new drivers leave the profession during the first year, but I'm sure it's pretty high.

 

Is that 70% failure rate on the driving test for school grads, or just folks that take it on their on?
If it is for students, it sure doesn't say much for the schools. lol

 

Did someone say it? 70% quit within the 1st year.

 

I really figured 70% quitting the first year, would be a conservative number.
Folks don't realize it is a different lifestyle until they experience a little bit of it and find out it isn't all roses.

 

I believe it's the highest turnover in any industry. I also read, a large percentage of those that quit in the 1st year are women.