Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Driver Shortage Creates Quandary for Trucking
Layover Magazine ^ | February 6, 2008

Posted on 02/11/2008 5:33:39 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 121-140 next last
To: bshomoic
Does the company pay for gas, or is the 50 cents a mile supposed to cover the gas?

Nobody pays 50 cents/mile unless your dad owns the business. When you get near 40 cents, they start cutting your miles. And the company pays for the fuel. Problem is, somedays, you get no miles, and NO PAY!

21 posted on 02/11/2008 5:59:05 PM PST by MrPiper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: bshomoic
Does the company pay for gas, or is the 50 cents a mile supposed to cover the gas?

Nobody pays 50 cents/mile unless your dad owns the business. When you get near 40 cents, they start cutting your miles. And the company pays for the fuel. Problem is, somedays, you get no miles, and NO PAY!

22 posted on 02/11/2008 5:59:17 PM PST by MrPiper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: MrPiper
Lets see, driving 11 hrs a day and working 14 hrs/day and maybe somedays making less than minimum wage....gone for weeks on end, bathing in public showers, and eating garbgage for weeks............ gee... I wonder why???????

I work for Schneider National, and what you just described simply isn't true. Truckers start at least $35,000 a year, and if they're able to get a dedicated route, they can easily make more and be home every weekend.

Eating garbage for weeks? Truckers have full access to area truck stops and Road America places which offer full dine-in services and public facilities. Also when you're young and just want to make some quick cash, who cares what your eating? I've hired drivers fresh out of high school who signed up for team loads with their girlfriends and the two of them made over $100,000 cash each year. If you do this for a few years that's a house & a car payment squared away.

What's hurting the trucking industry is the DOT rules and regulations. A lof of applicants have at least one or two speeding tickets which can kill an application. You have to have a near spotless driving record in order to be a truck driver. But there's a lot of money in trucking though, it's probably the most recession-proof job out there.

23 posted on 02/11/2008 6:05:25 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (The Constitution does not give me the authority to run your life - Ron Paul)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet
1) Pay folks more and more folks will do it.. This is going to be the 'jobs Americans wont do' to allow mexican deathtraps trucks come in and drive wages down even further..
24 posted on 02/11/2008 6:05:47 PM PST by N3WBI3 (Ah, arrogance and stupidity all in the same package. How efficient of you. -- Londo Mollari)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MrPiper

Come on Qout,,,, what do they pay when the truck is not moving ?????????afraid to answer??? the answer is ZERO!


25 posted on 02/11/2008 6:06:37 PM PST by MrPiper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: bshomoic
Does the company pay for gas, or is the 50 cents a mile supposed to cover the gas?

The fuel is already included with the contracted rate.

26 posted on 02/11/2008 6:08:27 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (The Constitution does not give me the authority to run your life - Ron Paul)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
I work for Schneider National, and what you just described simply isn't true

Oh really, what does the orange pumkin pay while the truck is not moving or held up at the dock?

27 posted on 02/11/2008 6:09:58 PM PST by MrPiper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: N3WBI3
Pay folks more and more folks will do it...

They ARE being payed. The problem is, is that truckers have to go through a detailed application process. Even a speeding ticket from 10 years ago will void an application. That's the problem, the background checks are too rigid.

28 posted on 02/11/2008 6:10:28 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (The Constitution does not give me the authority to run your life - Ron Paul)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: MrPiper
Oh really, what does the orange pumkin pay while the truck is not moving or held up at the dock?

If they're held up at the dock, the carrier receives detention charges, so it's in the shipper's best interest to load the driver as fast as possible. The driver gets paid regardless. Rarely are they "held up" unless they're in Southern California or in the middle of inclement weather & then the load is rescheduled.

29 posted on 02/11/2008 6:13:53 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (The Constitution does not give me the authority to run your life - Ron Paul)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Shermy
Sounds like a “pay shortage.”

That's exactly what it is...

These greedy trucking companies are paying crap.

They couldn't pay me $180,000 a year to live in a truck, driving on ice, traffic, living in grungy hole in the wall truck stops...A dangerous and nasty job...You can't have a life unless you take your wife and kids with you. Even then, it's no life.

Trucking? No thanks...It pays crap...

I would only consider it for 200k plus per year, and then I'd only do it for 2 years or so.

Life is too short to live in a stinking truck.

30 posted on 02/11/2008 6:14:27 PM PST by dragnet2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

My mother works for Schneider National too (about 20 years). She was making about $65,000 per year and is down to the $40,000 range now. All that time without a serious accident and she’s being pushed out before retirement.


31 posted on 02/11/2008 6:18:26 PM PST by cripplecreek (Just call me M.O.M. (Maverick opposed to McCain.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
If they're held up at the dock, the carrier receives detention charges, so it's in the shipper's best interest to load the driver as fast as possible.

I see you refuse to answer the question ,,, the answer is NOTHING! you can sit all weekend and not get paid. And it happens regularly. While your at it, please advise how many hours a typical driver drives a DAY, lets see,, they changed the rules some was it 10 or 11 plus a few extra not driving!

32 posted on 02/11/2008 6:18:36 PM PST by MrPiper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: cripplecreek
she’s being pushed out before retirement.

Sounds normal

33 posted on 02/11/2008 6:20:00 PM PST by MrPiper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: dragnet2
These greedy trucking companies are paying crap.

Shippers are leveraging the heck out of those companies, all the while driving profits out of the system. I know this because I'm one of the shippers driving the hard bargain.

34 posted on 02/11/2008 6:20:31 PM PST by NittanyLion
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
Which brings me to a question.

I am a mature citizen. 57. I work part time currently. Can't find my encore career. Baby Boomer malady. I see Schneider likes to hire people like me. Spotless record. No dope. No booze. No felonies. Masters Degree.Long successful career.

But, I read horror stories about company training. I need my CDL. But, I see people saying they throw you out and present you with a bill for the balance of the school. Are these people just illiterate idiots or is this common? This would be a major move for me.

35 posted on 02/11/2008 6:22:53 PM PST by davidtalker (David Gold - goldtalk.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
I work for Schneider National, and what you just described simply isn't true. Truckers start at least $35,000 a year...

Sorry Dude, but that's complete B.S. I signed on with Werner 2 years ago, and when the training was complete, they paid me $150 a week - take home. I told them to stick it you-know-where.

And what I've read here from Piper is all true, I'm sorry to say.

36 posted on 02/11/2008 6:23:13 PM PST by Musket (It's very simple:<i>your quoted text pasted here</i><p> produces Quoted Italic with paragraph break)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: MrPiper
I see you refuse to answer the question ,,, the answer is NOTHING! you can sit all weekend and not get paid. And it happens regularly.

I did answer it. They still get paid. If it's a dedicated lane, that driver is on salary, not per-miles. And sitting all weekend is rare for most drivers. Even then, the consignee (delivery point) reimburses the carrier.

While your at it, please advise how many hours a typical driver drives a DAY, lets see,, they changed the rules some was it 10 or 11 plus a few extra not driving

It's 14 hours per day and they can use the remaining 10 hours however they want.

37 posted on 02/11/2008 6:25:12 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (The Constitution does not give me the authority to run your life - Ron Paul)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
I work for Schneider National, and what you just described simply isn't true. Truckers start at least $35,000 a year

That's crap wage. Illegal aliens in Cal earn more than that. That's early 1990s wages man. lol

38 posted on 02/11/2008 6:27:47 PM PST by dragnet2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

Time to lay some new train tracks?


39 posted on 02/11/2008 6:28:20 PM PST by listenhillary (Tag line is broken, repair technician has been notified.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: davidtalker
But, I see people saying they throw you out and present you with a bill for the balance of the school.

I don't know about the other trucking companies, but Schneider pays for your training 100%. But they do want you to stay for a couple of years. If you move to another carrier (like after six months) then they'll stick you with the bill for training.

40 posted on 02/11/2008 6:28:23 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (The Constitution does not give me the authority to run your life - Ron Paul)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 121-140 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson