Most people don't try to understand how trucking companies work or how they think. It's really not that difficult. Actions ALWAYS speak louder than words. Most of the so called "starter" companies simply do not want a driver to stick around more than 8 months to a year. Why? Because the money they would have to lay out in pay raises, perpetual insurance benefits, (Life insurance policy included), potential profit sharing or 401K matching or any other similar benefit program far outweighs the cost of recruiting and training. The amount of money involved in the above listed items are usually pretty staggering. Remember, the top two budget items for ANY trucking company is payroll and diesel fuel, in that order. They can't do anything about the fuel cost, but they do have a LOT of control over the payroll. Keep the turnover constant. Drivers that do try to stay on with some of these companies for whatever reason, will soon find themselves running consistently shorte miles. Kind of makes them want to quit.
Of course, drivers help these companies work these methods just by the general attitude that drivers have. Executives in the trucking companies are really getting to know how drivers think and react. All they're doing is playing along with the drivers' attitudes and using it for leverage to keep the turnover constant. There are very few companies who want drivers who are looking for a place to work their entire career and actually retire from.
Here's an example: Transam in Olathe, KS. Russ M. is the one who runs that company, and he has for a long time. He is responsible for running off about 98% of all the drivers who have ever left that company. That's a whole bunch of them. Before Russ went to Transam, Johnny and his wife Trudy ran the company. They treated drivers like professionals and valued them above anything else. Of course, they had been drivers too! Russ comes along and has the attitude that "truck drivers are a dime a dozen." When he made this comment in my presence, I replied to him, "yea, and as long as you have that attitude about truck drivers, that's all you're going to have is dime a dozen drivers." I have never considered myself to be anything short of absolutely professional!
At the time I left Transam in 1998, they had a fleet of about 500 company trucks and about 20 owner operators, depending on who you talked to. Each week they were running between 60 and 100 new hires through orientation classes. In other words, they had about a 100% turnover rate every 6 to 8 weeks! Russ didn't want drivers to stick around because it cut into the company's profits. Drivers were finding it increasingly more difficult to get home time or to get miles. At that time, the so called middle management members of that company were telling drivers how much better off they would be just running 9,000 per month instead of 12,000 or more.
When you look at the starter companies, you have to expect that you are not getting a real opportunity. While the new driver has a place to get about 6 to 12 months of experience, job jumping looks worse on a driver's application than a criminal record. So understanding how trucking companies work and think can certainly be beneficial to those who are in the job market in our industry. If you can't get a job anywhere else but at one of these companies, take the job. Then start shopping for a company that you may want to stay for a while. Get a load that goes by that companies HQ offices and stop in for a visit. Talk to the Safety Director instead of a recruiter. NEVER talk to a recruiter until you're ready to make your move. Find out from the safety department what kinds of things they look for in a driver and what kinds of things are red flags to them. Once you have determined that you're talking to a decent company, let them know where you're at and ask how that would affect your chances of getting hired. Ask about minimum requirements or other expectations that they would want to see out of you at your starter company. After you leave their facility, talk to all their drivers that you can find. Talk to them on the fuel island, on the road, (away from channel 19) and offer to share a table with them over coffee or a meal. This method of doing your homework does work and it is absolutely effective.
But regardless how much research you do, if you don't have a positive, professional, team player attitude, you're just wasting your time and theirs. Driving a truck is NOT a job, it's a lifestyle. It REQUIRES a certain mindset to be successful. Having a whiney cry baby attitude isn't going to do anything for you but reinforce what the executives of the industry think of you based on the general attitude of truck drivers. To me, that would be the most undesirable reputation anyone could have on earth. Take pride in yourself, and your craft. Be positive and don't stoop to other's low points. And always be mindful of the kind of reputation that you would like to have for yourself. You can't buy it, you can't steal it, and nobody owes it to you. If you aren't completely prepared to earn a great professional reputation, don't ever expect to have one! Best of luck and be safe!
Georgia Joker
Who's The Worst Of Them ALL to work for?
Discussion in 'Report A BAD Trucking Company Here' started by MACK E-6, Jan 28, 2006.
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Excellent advice and words of wisdom, Georgia Joker --- and the kind y'all can take to the bank to earn interest.
Thanx for investing the time to make others aware.
inthewindaz Thanks this. -
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I agree with most of your pot..however sometimes drivers feel they have to put up with crap due to money issues or even not wanting to have to many jobs on record like dac... who knows but who are we to say that they are all bad drivers just because they put up with stuff that others will not.... Its sad to see the lack of respect for drivers as it is....
~No hard feelings just a reply...
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