why is turnover so high?

because many new (and some older) truckers have no patience. grass is always greener on the other side of the fence...until you get there. why? because it is fertilized with bovine scatology.

then they jump the fence only to find out its as brown (or worse) there as the side they just left.

i disagree. its because people arent proactive for themselves.

they dont research, study, apply, and continue to learn. dont ask questions, dont ask for advice, they dont talk to experienced truckers. if they dont have a clue, they have no one to blame but themselves. you only get out what you put in to it.

i been with a mega company (Werner) since January. training for 9 weeks, OTR for 3 months, then on dedicated. Is my pay the best? nope. but $900 a week running Budweiser and weekends off aint gonna garner a complaint out of me.
all in all, life is pretty good. work is easy, money is decent and I get treated like a human being.

not always about money. you have to throw in quality of life, home time frequency, relation with your fleet manager, being a safe driver, benefits (401K, health/dental/vision, life insurance).

if you want to be a good truck driver...you will. if you wanna be lazy and stay at home all the time and whine...then you wont

and by good, that doesnt mean best paid. the two shouldnt be confused.

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4291250]For many, due to current economic situations in certain parts of the country, they are literally out of options, and trucking is the only job in town. In Milwaukee, we had a meat packing company, Cargill, close the doors unexpectedly, putting 600 workers out of a job. What are those people supposed to do? You can bet some of them will be looking at trucking, and sadly, this is how many companies get their drivers, only to find out, it's not what it's perceived to be.[/QUOTE]

Trucking has taken advantage of this situation over and over. How many meat packers ever dreamed 6 months ago they would be trucking?

 

so long as the industry can maintain the image of a driver shortage, and that anyone can do the job with just 4 weeks training, the turnover will continue, to the benefit of the mega carriers. And as long as there are 75 new people a week to fill 50 people who just quit, the churn will continue, and the wages will stay very low.

 

One thing that needs to be said in favor of trucking is that you can get to the top so quickly. You put in 2 or 3 years OTR and you can go to many companies and make great money. Not too many industries have that. In terms of employment there is little difference between a 3 year vet and a 20. Of course if it's just one opening the 20 year guy has the edge but hopefully you all get what um saying. I started out 8 years ago making .26 cpm, 2 years later I was making .41, then .44 now I'm above that.

 

No difference between a 3 yr vet and a 20 yr vet? I'm sorry, but that's the biggest pile of shenanigans I ever read. I've been driving 8 years, and I drastically improved from the driver I was 5 years ago, and I'm still improving.

When you think you know everything, that's when you need to quit.

 

That's why I said in terms of employment, go look it's there. Let me give you the meaning too. It means, that the vast majority of companies that have experience requirements don't differentiate between a 3 and a 20. Nobody requires 20 years of experience. I honestly don't see how you thought I was saying you know all after 3 years.

 

I must have misunderstood you.

But you aren't correct. Companies that require a minimum amount of experience typically hire the driver with the most experience if they have more than one resume for the same seat.

Lets compare are you and me for example. We both have 8 years, and we both apply for the same seat. Since we have the same amount of seat time, employers look at other things. I'm ASE certified, and have only had 3 jobs in those 8 years. Let's say you're not ASE certified, and you had more than 5 jobs. Guess who gets the seat?

 

That's also why I said if there is only one opening the 20 year guy has an edge. But you can find many a great paying job that is hiring more than 1 driver.

 

I'm starting to see where your coming from. Past experience only gets you in the door.

 

Relax folks.

Turnover is lower than it has been in years.


Apparently things must be improving,

or drivers wouldn't put up with it.....
















right............