Posted on 06/26/2012 3:19:11 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
BATON ROUGE, LA - Delayed deliveries and high unemployment - nationwide, truck companies say a shortage of 18-wheeler drivers is taking a toll. Drivers say they're looking for work but new government regulations are preventing them from being hired.
Most companies are looking for experienced drivers with clean driving records. That's becoming harder to find according to Don McMahan, who's been driving for 17 years.
"Little tickets, we used to get just warnings. Warnings go on our work record now, on our history now," McMahan said.
He says the Department of Transportation has adopted new safety laws, meaning truckers are getting more tickets than ever for things like having a tail light out or not wearing a seat belt. McMahan says the law now says truckers must use hands-free devices inside their cabs. He says if they are caught on a cell phone, the driver is fined $2,750 and the company they work for could face fines of up to $11,000.
"Because of the added government regulations companies are looking at hiring students," Cummins said. "They know that job is there for them, the shortage isn't going away anytime soon. So their prospects for future careers are great."
That is, if companies are willing to take the risk on new drivers.
One other factor for driving vacancies - older truckers are retiring, and with new laws on how long a trucker can be on the road, some of those newer drivers are often unwilling to be long-distance-drivers.
(Excerpt) Read more at wafb.com ...
The driving rules aren’t the problem, it is the the fact that less and less of us are producing a taxable product or service, and we are getting more and more of our efforts stolen by the welfare class. It is the same for all self employed people. We are the canary in the mine, we are dying.
The entire economy is next — within one year.
I recommend you all watch “Dr. Zhivago” a few times to get used to what is coming.
Agree. I saw an old Buick Electra 225 (land yacht) that got t-boned by a loaded semi and it was literally as flat as if a car crusher did it. Cars and motorcycles don't win in that battle!
Not true. Drivers are limited to 11 hours of driving in a 14 hour period. After 10 hours logged in the sleeper, driving can commence. At 65 mph, 11 hours of driving equates to 715 miles. More if you are going cross country since you would have another 3 hours on the same day.
“The truckers have no freedom.”
What does being a trucker have to do with it? It seems we’re all under assault where liberty is concerned, and the assault on truckers IS an assault on us all.
Higher trucking costs equals higher prices for EVERYTHING.
We need to start defending everyone’s liberty, for our own liberty is only as safe as they guy standing next to us!
I drove a 40’ straight truck for year. Now you never see them on the road. I haven’t seen one in several years. So I guess a lot of that shelf shortage may be because it’s not feasible to use an 18 wheeler to haul a little toothpaste.
As for the people understanding, ha! A woman in L.A. was asked about trucks not bringing food to market and she said “I ain’t worried ‘bout dat. I gets my groceries at Kroger.” True story.
Are you a trucker?
First of all, you’re not going to average 65 miles an hour. If you do and you get stopped, you’re getting a ticket. Second, those time zones count against you.
One more thing, it’s 11 hours driving in a 24 hour period. You got 10 in the sleeper and 3 for meals, taking a shower or whatever.
He’s telling you the truth. The GPS stuff started around 2006. FEDEX pushed it. And if he has a partner, he has to split everything so he’s still not making any money.
I was bringing in as much as $10,000 a month then all of a sudden I wasn’t getting good runs. I’d sit and sit and then finally get a run of 200 miles. I saw the writin’ on the wall. I only drove for 10 months.
Snakebite, I had no idea about the rules for CDL license. I don’t drink but I guess I’d better get rid of it.
It’s true -
The new rules certainly are -
The new rules certainly are -
The company I worked for had one man working in dispatch no one could get along with. Me and him got into words one night over some mechanical problems I was trying to solve {head light relay}. He kept pushing and I'd been sitting all weekend after watching a promised load pull of the yard as I was pulling in. I told him the keys were at the fuel desk of the truck stop and caught a Dog home.
Increasing regulations and allowing Mexicans in to undercut American worker wages are hurting another industry.
Trucks and trailers are also being equipped with GPS systems that tell just about everything about how the equipment is being operated.
Now the boss can look over the driver’s shoulder as never before.
I sat for about 3 days after having been promised a load for over 1400 miles. I finally got a load for 200 miles and that couldn’t be unloaded until the next day. I called and told them that would be my last load.
You were a machinist’s mate on the America?
Not true...you have to log using the time of your base location.
Yea from 77-80 in A-Division and a couple of stints in Fire Department.
I had to really get my old brain to working to remember what a “snipe” was.
Machinist Mate, Machinery Repairman {actual machinist}, Boiler Tech, Electricans Mate, Interior Comuunications, Engineman, Gas Turbine Spec, and Hull Techs.
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