Posted on 06/25/2012 11:40:15 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The U.S. economy can't function unless goods get from point A to B.
That's why we have air carriers like FedEx, railroaders like CSX, and truckers like J.B. Hunt.
Truckers are a crucial component in this equation because a plane or train can't exactly back into the loading dock of the local grocery store.
Unfortunately, America can't seem to find enough people to fill the cabs of their 18-wheelers.
USA Today's Paul Davidson reports:
A worsening shortage of truck drivers is pushing up freight rates and delaying some deliveries, defying the weak economy, high unemployment and falling gasoline prices.
Davidson identifies a few reasons why we can't seem to higher enough truckers:
* training costs are high and typically lasts weeks
* minimum age is 21 years
* safety ratings are horrible, causing the screening process to be stringent
However, the shortage is causing pay in the industry to rise. According to a consultant in Davidson's story, the average drivers' annual salary has increased 5 percent year-over-year to $50,000.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
I stopped driving because the company stopped giving me long hauls where I could actually make some money. What killed it was FedEx pushing for GPS in every truck. Now there’s no way to cheat the log book. And that’s the only way you can make a decent living.
I work in the Trucking Industry. Drivers are sometimes “abused” by their employers, but no more than any other sector of the job market. As far as “speeding”, few (if any) carriers have their trucks set for going anything past 65mph. The penalties for “skipping breaks” is very high for both Drivers and the companies they work for. Any Driver who is breaking his Hours of Service regulations is taking their job in their hands, as the company will not tolerate it. Every company I have worked for dispatches their trucks at 48mph, meaning they only expect the Driver to move 480 miles in 10 hours.
The biggest reason there is a shortage of Drivers is very simple, low pay. If you had to support TWO households, what would it take for you to live on? Even living on the cheap out on the road will cost you $20 a day minimum (if you don’t smoke). The advertisements for “$60,000 a year” are for a Driver that never goes home. Drivers today expect to be home every couple of weeks, and will spend 3 or 4 days off when they are home.
The physical impact of Driving over the road is one of the least considered aspects of the job. Never sleeping at the same time every day, never eating at the same time (not to mention the poor diet choices), and the sedentary lifetsyle are killers. In all my years in this industry, its very rare to see a Driver who could be considered healthy. And forget about the hype about “seeing the country”. If it isn’t within 50 yards or so of the highway or truckstop you won’t see it. And your schedule rarely permits you the time to stop and see anything even if that place has truck parking.
Most Trucking companies consider themselves lucky to have a less than 100% turnover rate yearly, Drivers are always changing companies, it has been that way for as long as I can remember. Company loyalty is not a concept Drivers understand, and I will agree that few companies take any measures to cultivate it.
“when I ‘retire’ I am going to do this”
Unfortunately at that time “the spirit may be willing but the flesh may not”. Just sayin.
“Thus there’s a huge turnover in the industry because not even immigrants are willing to work under such abusive conditions”
I’ve heard the same thing for the past several years from drivers themselves.
Plus, drug tests ~ with the proliferation of drugs more and more young people are writing themselves right out of this occupation.
I thought (briefly) about this too, but I bet what truckers have to go through on a normal basis would be enough to quash any romanticism about the occupation. Driving a big rig is not like "setting cruise control and heading down Route 66..."
Think about lugging a tandem trailer through 18 miles of a bumper-to-bumper construction zone, or navigating said tandem trailer through winter conditions in Utah, Colorado, Tennessee, or eastern Pennsylvania, for example. Even the same route, several times per week--even in good weather-- through the Great Plains would bore me to tears after a short while.
I remember that Karl Malone, shortly after he retired from basketball, moved to a truck-driving career. IIRC, he chose very selective routes (those in which he had an interest in driving), and then added a premium for his name recognition. That'd be the way to go.
Good catch.
No new driver is going to make anywhere near $50k / year. You would have to run the wheels right off of the truck in order to make that much while being paid a per mile rate, with no compensation for wait time at loading and unloading (which, at times, costs you half of your available work hours). The cost of living on the road is not low, nor do most drivers understand how to manage their money effectively to insure that they don't p&ss away their earnings.
Artificially low freight rates prevent fleet owners from paying what the profession truly warrants. Combined with, literally, millions of pages of regulations, it is neither an easy way nor an assured way to earn much of a living anymore. This is a shame, I love the industry and the challenges it brings.
This is all very interesting stuff. Good post.
GPS enabled electronic logs are now a requirement for all trucks - smaller fleets have until mid-next year to undertake the expense of installing them. I just plunked down over $200k to comply with my fleet.
Well, I have truckers in my family and as a career, it’s not for everybody-—very dangerous (particularly going up and down the Rockies) and frustrating dealing with all the rules, regulations, and LEOs on the highways.
There is also a shortage of farmers, truck mechanics, welders, plumbers, electricians.
I know companies all hiring for above - they can’t keep people. If you can pass a drug test, show up to work on time, use common sense and work hard, you will be employed.
600+ stations still leaves HUGE holes..
I just got home from Montana... More than once I hit seek on the radio and it just went round and round on the dial.
rush does have pod casts.
When the pay and working conditions equal the work and time required they will have plenty of drivers. The Free Market proves this every day.
The comments below the article are very interesting. Worth reading.
Yeah, most people outside the industry have no clue about what’s going on in it. The government played a big part in creating one more job “Americans won’t do”.
Diabetes? Not gonna be a truck driver.
High blood pressure? Not gonna be a truck driver.
Trouble sleeping? Not gonna be a truck diver.
People think $60 thousand is decent money but its not so much when you pay to live on the road and at home. It comes down to minimum wage type money spread over far more hours away from home. I have a friend who quit diving and became a cargo pilot because it was less restrictive than trucking.
I’ve been a CDL holder for almost 10 years.
You are wrong.
Read up on the laws/rules regulating how many hours a driver can drive,how long they can be “in service” before he has to take a 10 hour or 36 hour rest. Commonly known as hours of service.
Your mandated by law to get 10 hours of rest or more per day. Granted, someone could use that time to do things other than sleep but those drivers don’t last long at all.
and there are TONS of truckers well over 45 that are some of the safest drivers on the road.
you don’t last long in trucking if your an unsafe driver. Companies kick you to the curb if your unsafe their insurance companies demand it. Your driving record and other records warn others.
“$50,000 isn’t enough for many of these youngins...like the Occupy guy Sean Hannity interviewed sometime back. He wouldn’t take a job for less than $100,000.”
Yep, and Obama represents the boomer crowd! Thanks boomers! Doing a great job to help America.
I’d be thrilled to drive a truck. I’ve applied, been turned down before. It’s a tough economy, and if they can’t find drivers, chances are because they are unwilling to train the folks who are willing to work.
“I know companies all hiring for above - they can’t keep people. If you can pass a drug test, show up to work on time, use common sense and work hard, you will be employed.”
Hahahaha, maybe 20 years ago. Not so now. :(
The comment regarding the laws of how long one can drive vs the delivery time demands of the company, is 100% accurate and sheer insanity.
I came from the expedited freight industry. I have done both Over the road and local (courier) work. As the title indicates, it’s time sensitive freight needed asap. It’s very easy to over come the “impossible” delivery requirements with team drivers (two licensed drivers in the truck) one drives, one sleeps. They can literally run 24/7 for 5 days.
If a team is not available to run the load they can cross dock it if it’s a straight truck load (switch it from a driver who is out of hours to one that just woke up) or if it’s a trailer load, they can drop and hook it (switch tractors/drivers).
They ONLY time a expedited load can become a problem is if a driver can not deliver it on time traveling at posted speed limits. (IE 60 MPH speed limit, 120 miles to delivery point, 90 minutes to do the delivery)
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