What trucking can learn from the airlines

Not a good comparison at all. In trucking any body and their mother father cousin sister whoever can go buy a truck. They can then run for a flat rate all inclusive because it pays more than Walmrt. How many 1 truck O/O do you see out there? Some shippers wont talk to you unless you have a min 10 trucks and a secure drop yard. Until you eliminate the guy that will take any 48k 8ft tarp load for a buck a mile, we wont get anywhere. Not to mention NAFTA drivers fixing to come run loads to US.

I don't know many people that can go buy an airplane. Then you have to get gates, terminals, fuel and maintenance! Then you have to get brokers to give you freight or book people. What about meeting FAA regulations. Lol.

Comparing apples to oranges

 

you're kidding me right?

after spending 20 years in the airline industry both as a pilot of heavy aircraft and then as a senior manager before coming to the trucking industry, i can assure you, there is NOTHING the trucking industry can learn from the airlines.

if the airline industry was so great, i'd still be there.

almost none of the majors do their own work or fly thier own aircraft with the exception of a few.....it's all farmed out to third party contractors at the lowest bid....you think US Air owns and operates all those planes? or Delta? or United? or whoever they're merged with and calling themselves these days? sure they own a few and operate them out of the major hubs and wherever the suits upstairs have their offices, but the bulk of the work is done and equipment operated by companies like chatauqua air, mesa air, comair, republic, all small players who won the contract on the lowest bid. gates, baggage and ramp service as well are performed by the lowest bidder from a myriad of smaller players who have no affiliation with the airline they're working for other than a contract to to do the work.......contracts are fleeting and cancelled on a whim when a new player with a lower price shows up on the scene......

no.....trucking can learn nothing from the airlines except what not to do unless you want to run at a deficit and go out of business and/or file for bankruptcy every few years to try and catch your breath and start over.

and then he cites Crandall. what a laugh. a man whose time has come and gone. look at where his baby American is now. about to go under. for the how manyeth time? they won't last in the long run due to an overpaid and underworked and overbenefitted union workforce, both company and third party contractors, and revenues/net profits even on the long haul coast to coast and international routes are less than $300 per flight. and i'm in a posiiton to know.

 

If I remember correctly they do have 1 thing in common and that is a treat their new pilots like crap[noob drivers]

 

another good point as well.....i didn't even get into the two-tier salary system or "buy a job" where any idiot that can pass the psych screening and can pay for their training can get a job....and yes there are commercial license mills just like cdl mills that advertise in every aviation magazine......and these starry eyed wannabes come out th other end flying a regional jet for roughly 18k a year while the graybeard about to retire is making 200K

 

we should all just go work for mickey D's, probably get paid as much as either industry nowadays and have a 10th of the resposibilty huh.

 

Except you can't go to sleep in the back for a few hours.

 

Whats really sad is YOUR RIGHT...40 yrs of this and its getting worse but i wont quit yet...maybe another year or two..

 

I was at the airport a week ago and the Burger King prices were $.20 cheaper than at a TA.

 

Been to a movie lately? We went for the first times in many years to a full price theater last week. Tickets were $9.50 each. Small drink (which we didn't get) $4.80.

We usually take the grankids to the $2.50 movie. Decent theater with almost new seats, and movies about a month out of release date. Why pay full price to see it right now.

 

Says who?