Why do most new drivers quit?

Hahaha they don't even know who Kris kristofe

Hahaha they don't even know who Kris Kristoferson And Jerry Reed are. Or BJ McKay either.. hahaha

 

No, dude, I had whatever I could carry in two suitcases, and an attitude that I would win. I took whatever job I could get, studied way more than necessary, and I moved up whenever I could. Yes, I believe that EVERYONE, including those "rejects and mouthbreathers" you feel so superior to, can make it, just like anyone else, if they are willing to work hard enough that their work is worth more than their wages. I have hired a guy straight out of prison after his third stint, and he did me a good job for years. But he was tired of your line of thinking, and was willing to work for what he needed. Yeah, he walked to work. Problem solved. Big F'n deal.

I love the argument about people with chemistry degrees being unemployed. My son is a second year engineering student, and he's being recruited like he's a high school football star. The only thing left is them throwing hookers through his bedroom window...... You get a solid science or engineering degree from a real university, and you are willing to work where they need you, you can start at 60 to 100K, full benefits, everything.

You don't get ahead by following the herd.

 

I think he should hold out for the company that installs the hot tub in his room, with three hookers. But that's just me.

 

Alot of misunderstanding going on aperently, i dont feel superior to the mouth breathers, i am. And so are you. No not everyone can do it. The majority of this countrys youth have been codled andtold they are special when they are not. Then when they get to college all of a sudden they are sub par. They cant hack it, not always from lack of work ethic as much as lack of information and preperation. If you really came from overseas then you can not speak to life growing up here. The fact is the world needs ditch diggers... you laugh at the chemistry grad being homelss? Better order extra sugar for your koolaid, reality sucks brother. I know 3 grads that drive trucks. A tech engineer, a nurse, and bio engineer. Programing was and is promoted as the future, but most ten year olds can make a better website then grads of the last 2 years. Who is paying for college? Most of the people we are talking about barly graduate hs let alone have the grades for a free ride. Some inner city kid with a 2.5 gpa is not getting scollerships, grants, or cheap loans. Just not happening. Not everyone can go to college, nor should they. As for your ex fellon buddy, so what? I didnt tell you who i concider a mouth breather or reject. You assume i mean people in prison? Ask next time you have no clue. And what is. "My line of thinking"? You seem to not grasp my point, and so i must assume you misunderstand my line of thinking. Let me (sigh) re iderate my stance.





Yes hard work and self motivation CAN bring someone out of poverty, or in your case, into a stable a solid enviroment. But NO it is not as simple as you and your hand built ivory tower claim it to be. I know your gonna say "but i worked hard" yeah you did. But you had accsess to the jobs/transportation/education/support, excc.. that alowed you to do it. Guess what, it wasnt ONLY you, by yourself. I have not been givin a #### thing in my life, i live good now. I could have more but i choose living happy vs, living to "sucseed" but many cant even see a way out let alone strive for it. Your comparing apples and oranges your deal is not normal, and therefore not the standered to be judged by. Im tierd right now, i know i didnt cover everything but the phrase i did it so why cant everyone. Is not valid in this situation.

 

Many new drivers come to this business with a lot of misconceptions. Some have switched careers and trucking fulfills a childhood fantasy. Some think they are going to get paid to drive and see the country. Many fail to do their research to find out what it is really like to be a professional trucker. Things have changed over the last 30 or 40 years, but the basics are still the same.

I have used state employment offices to find drivers. Periodically, I will receive a list from them with names of those who say that they have applied for a job. I recall once when one sent me 2 full pages of people who were supposed to have applied for work. If I remember correctly, not a single name was familiar and I did not have an application on anyone on the list. I was actively looking for qualified drivers. But, I also had minimum qualifications which made my job a little more challenging. I have never hired inexperienced drivers due to insurance requirements. There are a number of carriers who seem to mostly hire new or inexperienced drivers.

This industry is different than most other professions. Those interested in making this a career should do some due diligence to see if this is really something for them. In some cases, new drivers don't give themselves enough time to learn what they are doing. One trait I see prevalent today is perseverance. As a society, we want instant gratification. We want everything NOW! In real life, the best things don't come quickly for most people. I recall a number of conversations that I have had with drivers on this and other trucking forums about pay. Many want to start out at top wages without having any experience or training. Some want to be paid for everything they do from the time they leave home until they get back to their home terminal. They feel they should be paid for eating, taking a shower, sleeping or going to the toilet. Unrealistic expectations are one reason some leave the industry.

Trucking is real work. Some think all they will be doing is driving and seeing the country. When we see turnover we want to know why. It could be that the individual is just not suited for this business. Not everyone is prepared to be away from family and friends for one to six weeks when starting out. Most companies get new drivers back home every couple of weeks once they get out of training. You really need to give any new career time for you to learn about what you are doing. Some leave before giving this career a fair chance.

 

Thank you very much for the boost and info. I appreciate it!!

 

Why do most drivers quit?

You should first specify who those drivers are. They are not the ones that get jobs in ltl; their turnover is 5-10% the lowest of any industry. They are not the ones that go into construction, oil, or agriculture. Those guys get layed off when work slows down and reapply to the same companies year after year. The only part of trucking drivers regularly quit is mega-crap otr trucking; their turnover is always around 100% even in the worst job markets. Worse turnover of any industry!

The reason why:
The mega-crap trucking companies pay about 35k a year if your willing to fill out your log page with 70 hours a week. To fill out that log page you will work at least another 20 hours off the clock. You will fix trucks, fix trailers, clean trucks, clean trailers, throw chains, go to safety classes, fill out tests, fill out work orders, fill out trip packs, scan trip packs, wait for parts, run around for parts, wait for loads, wait to get a load, wait to get loaded, wait to get unloaded, pay lumpers, wait for mechanics, consult with mechanics, consult with safety, consult with your dispatcher, deal with customers and their problems, chase load paperwork around, chase truck and trailer paperwork, search for empty trailers, inspect trucks, inspect trailers, rework loads, wait for truck or trailers inspections, shuffle trailers, spot trailers, handle security issues at just about every shipper and consignee, secure loads, tarp loads, lump loads, and babysit just about every other issue a mega-crap company can dump on you without pay.

So figure out what you get paid for all this:
$35,000/ 52 weeks a year = $673.07 a week average.
$673.07/ [(40 hours+1.5 [30 {should be overtime hours}] + 1.5[20{unrecorded overtime hours})] = $5.85 a hour! The mega-crap trucking companies are paying less then minimum wage for safety sensitive skilled work !

If you cannot do the the math you can feel it doing the work. But that is the reason!

Now, since turnover is so ridiculously high, since trucking companies and recruiters are less then honest about this situation, you do get a lot of workers that have poor work habits, poor ethics, unrealistic expectations, and less then desirable qualifications. All the negatives said about drivers contributing to this turnover situation can be found, but that mainly because these companies are turning over their entire workforce each and every year. You are going to find a lot of losers when you do that and offer pay of less then minimum wage.

 

Personally, I LOVE driving OTR. I didn't know if I would when I started, a year ago, but now I do.

You have to be grown-up enough to realize that in ANY job there will be things that you HATE about it. Even in a "dream" job. That's just part of working. NOTHING is ALL lolipops and unicorns.

The biggest challenge for me is the paycheck. I will work my heart out for my 70 + all the unpaid misc. crap that adds another 10+ to that. But ###### if I'm going to do it $700-900 a week. I have 80k accident-free, ticket free miles in this first year.

I have hazmat, tanker, doulbles-triples, a TWIC card and a passport.

I don't need my hand held, and can even replace small things like bulbs, fuses, bolts and lenses, despite my mechanical retartedness. And I can run 620 miles a day EVERY day barring serious weather or screwy traffic, am polite to every customer and make them happy I was there.

I have a LOT to learn. But I'm willing, ready and able. If I could just get someone to give me decent miles at a fair rate, I'd be happy as a clam. As it is, I get good miles at ludicrous rates or crappy miles at good rates. I'll find something, or hopefully, the company I'm with starts giving me the miles I want. But I have no intention of stopping driving.

 

Once warmer weather is here to stay I'll take up this challenge. (Will any model do or does it have to be a plane?) I need something to do on my resets.

 

I did things like this, but it was more out of desperation than hobby.