WHY??? Why are so many starting with the worst companies?

What does a rookie know? What can they know? ISTM they tend to think of any company as a bad company, probably due to their expectations that in a month or two they're going to be ~gallivanting all over the country with Burt Reynolds, Sally Field and Jerry Reed and dodging LEOs like Jackie Gleason.

Researching here will provide bad reviews of ~every company, a poor rookie has little with which to judge them, and I don't think very often enough time to before they need to hit the road and be earning something.

It's like complaining about low experience drivers training rookies. Well, just line up the guys with 5-20+ years who want to and will train for me and then we'll argue about it.

 

#1 - if the CDL schools would do a better job of schooling, maybe
#2 - give me a weekly salary of an additional $400 week in addition to standard mileage pay, maybe
#3 - give me a written waiver that indemnifies the trainer in the event of a subsequent accident once the trainee solos
(but I realize that's a two way street. the trainee should have a reasonable expectation of quality training assuming they are willing to learn)

otherwise, it's not worth the risk, liability, and the frustration. I'm waiting on the first law suit from a driver trainee's family (widow) against a driver trainer, as well as the carrier. You know it's coming if it hasn't already.

 

Mega carriers survive on newbies constantly entering the industry. They want folks they can pay next to nothing due to lack of experience, and run them into the ground with miles so they can stuff their pockets......sweatshops on wheels. We all have been there......well most of us anyway. But really, does it get any better with experience. Still have to run your butt off to keep your job. Endless greed in this industry.

 

Where are new drivers "getting their butts ran off" in their first year? Most will run fewer then 2,500 MPW average, many may be lucky to run 2,000 MPW. It's not greed that motivates carriers, it's dealing with new HOS and eLogs that has them over-supplied with seat warmers so no load is at risk of being late or missed (plenty sitting around with little to do) and this doesn't cost the carrier much of anything given that carriers are paying far less health insurance portion today then they used to and workers comp is based on driver payroll, not by the head.

 

i dont know if you guys remember, but when you started, you were desperate

you had no job, no experience and CR England promised to pay for your schooling, and let you drive "a big shiny truck"

they said if you worked hard, didnt complain, werent late, you could make MILLIONS

and out of desperation and few other choices, you took that greyhound out to Salt Lake City

and you were awed by the trucks and fellow students and you swore you would be the best of the best

and you liked it, and CR England warned you about those bad outlaw drivers and if you did things THEIR way, you would be a MILLIONAIRE

and CR England said, dont listen to those bums on the internet, if they were good workers, they wouldnt have time for the internet

THIS is how people get suckered into going to the megas

and to be honest, the megas have their place, its just that some drivers dont understand the game

dont hate the player, learn the game

 

i remember when "running your butt off" was 4500-5000mi/week

now its running "within your hours" and maxing out at 3000mi/week

its all relative

even now, i will take a long hard run, just to remember the old days (not THAT old)

 

after five years, you should never have to run your butt off

all depends on where you place yourself in the industry

mileage pay is the worst

 

I can try to offer insight as a student/newbie...

1. I'm laid off from my previous job, barely scraping by, need to work and don't have a ton of time to be super selective with my first gig. Sure I WANT to work somewhere great, but I NEED to do things like pay rent, my light bill, and eat.

2. Experience. Simply put, its quite difficult to get someone to hire you with no experience, and an untested credential. Spend some time on the job boards, and you'll see that the list of 0 experience companies is really quite limited.

3. Preference. I want an APU in my truck. Its getting hot out, and quality sleep is a big input into quality driving.

4. Some persons need a 2nd chance, and are willing to pay their dues to get it...

5. Geography. I'm fortunate because I live in a market with several of the better companies that are willing to hire newbies; not everyone has that luxury.

Bundle all that up together, and the priority really becomes getting that first job and that 1 year of experience.

 

Very well said.That's what it boils down to,pick a company and stick with it till you get that 1 yr in.Yes a lot of newbies have a tough time because they choose the worst company possible.Like CrEngland for example and they knew the company was bad.But they think just because it happened to that one student it can't happen to me and find out they're all treated the same.Thats one thing companies like this don't discriminate against.Every starter company has its flaws.No matter how hard you look you're not going to find that perfect company.But there are starters better then others.So is what im saying don't pick the worst company as your first company but don't be so picky where you let all the other companies pass you by.My first company was Werner and I stayed there 3 yrs.Far from perfect but I knew I wasn't going to find any better as a new driver so I stuck with them.

 

Yep Patty couldn't agree more. We all gotta start somewhere. I mean at the end of the day, this is a skilled labor position. If you look at other skilled labor positions, they pretty much all have an apprenticeship period with differential pay. Some for way longer than the few months that most trucking firms require. The one year thing isn't a big deal, and it makes a lot of since from an insurance perspective (companies save money on premiums because of that requirement).

Its not necessarily all bad either, I can see a variety of benefits to going to a starter company: 1) earning some cash finally and quickly, 2) placing drivers in a variety of difficult situations (ergo learning opportunities), and 3) it will make a person appreciate that next job all the more.