America’s Very Real Trucker Shortage — and What’s Driving It

[longknife]

Companies need 50,000 and they’ll earn $80k per year. So, why is it so hard to find drivers? Here’s why:



Most said the answer is simple: The lifestyle is rough. You barely see your family, you rarely shower, and you get little respect from car drivers, police or major retailers. Michael Dow said he has been divorced twice because of trucking. Donna Penland said she gained 60 pounds her first year from sitting all day and a lack of healthful food on the road.



More @ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/05/28/america-has-a-massive-truck-driver-shortage-heres-why-few-want-an-80000-job/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.81485036b092

 

[fncceo]

I'm guessing not a lot of people want to drive trucks for a living?

 

[Disir]

It would be great but the money isn't there. Not anymore. It's some BS to keep using undocumented workers.
Trucker pay has plummeted in the last 30 years, analyst says

(there's more out there to read on it)

My sister owns a trucking company and the number one problem she has right now is finding someone in her area that can pass a drug test.

 

[polarbear]

Companies need 50,000 and they’ll earn $80k per year. So, why is it so hard to find drivers? Here’s why:



Most said the answer is simple: The lifestyle is rough. You barely see your family, you rarely shower, and you get little respect from car drivers, police or major retailers. Michael Dow said he has been divorced twice because of trucking. Donna Penland said she gained 60 pounds her first year from sitting all day and a lack of healthful food on the road.



More @ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/05/28/america-has-a-massive-truck-driver-shortage-heres-why-few-want-an-80000-job/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.81485036b092

That 80K is a myth. You get paid by the mile, but that`s not even a real mile as if you clocked it on the odometer.
Dispatch which credits the driver`s miles uses the shortest distance which more often than not is using roads that trucks aren`t allowed on. In the US a driver is allowed 10 hours on duty per day. "On duty" means you are waiting to load or unload, clear customs or deal with the Nazis at the weigh scales who`s only purpose is to come up with something so that they can fine you and you wind up loosing a week`s pay.
Anything will do. If you arrived somewhere in a time they claim is proof of speeding you get fined for speeding!
Log book infractions are their favorite. They can keep you there till the cows come home if they want to go through all the log pages that cover the last 30 days in order to fine you for having been a few minutes more than allowed on duty. They don`t care if you were in a long waiting line to clear customs or were stuck in traffic and that there was no way to park it and rest. In some cities like Chicago the trucking routes are so f-ed up it can take you more than 24 hours to deliver a load and get out of there again. In some other states there are long stretches without any pull-overs for trucks to rest. You can bet that on a road like that they will set up a mobile truck check, knowing full well that they can suck money out of every driver they have in their clutches.
I had a job in the high arctic, 6 month on & 6 months off. During my off time I drove long haul from Canada all the way up to the Southern US border and seen for my self how with the exception of highway patrol and State troopers everybody else treats truckers like shit. And that`s why there is a shortage of drivers for big rigs.

 

[MarathonMike]

Companies need 50,000 and they’ll earn $80k per year. So, why is it so hard to find drivers? Here’s why:



Most said the answer is simple: The lifestyle is rough. You barely see your family, you rarely shower, and you get little respect from car drivers, police or major retailers. Michael Dow said he has been divorced twice because of trucking. Donna Penland said she gained 60 pounds her first year from sitting all day and a lack of healthful food on the road.



More @ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/05/28/america-has-a-massive-truck-driver-shortage-heres-why-few-want-an-80000-job/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.81485036b092

That 80K is a myth. You get paid by the mile, but that`s not even a real mile as if you clocked it on the odometer.
Dispatch which credits the driver`s miles uses the shortest distance which more often than not is using roads that trucks aren`t allowed on. In the US a driver is allowed 10 hours on duty per day. "On duty" means you are waiting to load or unload, clear customs or deal with the Nazis at the weigh scales who`s only purpose is to come up with something so that they can fine you and you wind up loosing a week`s pay.
Anything will do. If you arrived somewhere in a time they claim is proof of speeding you get fined for speeding!
Log book infractions are their favorite. They can keep you there till the cows come home if they want to go through all the log pages that cover the last 30 days in order to fine you for having been a few minutes more than allowed on duty. They don`t care if you were in a long waiting line to clear customs or were stuck in traffic and that there was no way to park it and rest. In some cities like Chicago the trucking routes are so f-ed up it can take you more than 24 hours to deliver a load and get out of there again. In some other states there are long stretches without any pull-overs for trucks to rest. You can bet that on a road like that they will set up a mobile truck check, knowing full well that they can suck money out of every driver they have in their clutches.
I had a job in the high arctic, 6 month on & 6 months off. During my off time I drove long haul from Canada all the way up to the Southern US border and seen for my self how with the exception of highway patrol and State troopers everybody else treats truckers like shit. And that`s why there is a shortage of drivers for big rigs.

Good post. So given all that and the need for truckers can you negotiate a better deal, like a guaranteed base salary?

 

[polarbear]

Companies need 50,000 and they’ll earn $80k per year. So, why is it so hard to find drivers? Here’s why:



Most said the answer is simple: The lifestyle is rough. You barely see your family, you rarely shower, and you get little respect from car drivers, police or major retailers. Michael Dow said he has been divorced twice because of trucking. Donna Penland said she gained 60 pounds her first year from sitting all day and a lack of healthful food on the road.



More @ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/05/28/america-has-a-massive-truck-driver-shortage-heres-why-few-want-an-80000-job/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.81485036b092

That 80K is a myth. You get paid by the mile, but that`s not even a real mile as if you clocked it on the odometer.
Dispatch which credits the driver`s miles uses the shortest distance which more often than not is using roads that trucks aren`t allowed on. In the US a driver is allowed 10 hours on duty per day. "On duty" means you are waiting to load or unload, clear customs or deal with the Nazis at the weigh scales who`s only purpose is to come up with something so that they can fine you and you wind up loosing a week`s pay.
Anything will do. If you arrived somewhere in a time they claim is proof of speeding you get fined for speeding!
Log book infractions are their favorite. They can keep you there till the cows come home if they want to go through all the log pages that cover the last 30 days in order to fine you for having been a few minutes more than allowed on duty. They don`t care if you were in a long waiting line to clear customs or were stuck in traffic and that there was no way to park it and rest. In some cities like Chicago the trucking routes are so f-ed up it can take you more than 24 hours to deliver a load and get out of there again. In some other states there are long stretches without any pull-overs for trucks to rest. You can bet that on a road like that they will set up a mobile truck check, knowing full well that they can suck money out of every driver they have in their clutches.
I had a job in the high arctic, 6 month on & 6 months off. During my off time I drove long haul from Canada all the way up to the Southern US border and seen for my self how with the exception of highway patrol and State troopers everybody else treats truckers like shit. And that`s why there is a shortage of drivers for big rigs.

Good post. So given all that and the need for truckers can you negotiate a better deal, like a guaranteed base salary?

Thank you and the guaranteed base salary you are suggesting would make all the difference!
Drivers should get paid for the time they spend clearing customs, loading and unloading etc. Just paying them by the mile is really unfair. It is an enticement to bend the rules drivers are supposed to follow and their dispatchers & load brokers know it and benefit from it. That`s because they are not risking anything.
Also a few laws should be changed. As it is, everything is the driver`s responsibility even if it was a 3rd party who was at fault. Drivers are supposed to be in charge when the truck is loaded, but on many docks they don`t even allow the driver to be inside the terminal to make sure it`s done right. When they are done loading they get you to sign for the goods on the truck and they are off the hook if:
a.)....you are short of what the bill of laden states
b)....if the maximum axle weights are exceeded
c.)..secure load from shifting
d)....if they stashed something illegal in your trailer
e)....if they did not file the proper customs declaration.
just to name a few examples. B.) and e.) are the most frequent problems. Even if the load exceeds the max gross weight there is not much the driver can do. They don`t have weigh scales at the loading terminals for drivers to verify gross & axle weights. The only way to do this is to drive to the next truck stop where they have weigh scales. Now you have to hope you don`t get checked and fined till you get to one.
Once there and you find out that your overall GW is > 80 000 lbs there is not much you can do about it.
You can call your dispatcher if you want to waste a phone call. I never heard one say "okay go back and unload X lbs". They have well oiled "advice" for you that is phrased in a way to make it clear to you to keep on trucking without saying anything you could use in court.
Sometimes the GW might be within limits, but the axle weights are not. In that case you can try sliding the trailer dollies or the 5th wheel to shift weight. If you are unlucky and wound up with too much weight in the front of the trailer and can`t fuel up your tanks sufficiently....forcing you to make more time consuming fuel stops on the way to your destination. Sometimes you can`t even adjust enough with sliding and are stuck with the problem. At the next weigh scale they don`t give a damn what your story is.
They might even decide to open your trailer doors and inspect the load. It does not matter if it was a sealed load and you have to answer at the destination why the seal was broken. Arkansas has by far the worst bastards "working" at the weigh scales. They always find something to fine you. Even if you think you had everything right they will find a carton which was not strapped down and fine you for a "non secured load". While they inspect your trailer they stomp on top of the goods and don`t care if they damage them. No truck driver who knows the roads will drive through Arkansas even if that means a significant detour to avoid it.
At the end of the day the driver is held responsible for the goods he carried.
Problem e.) can be your worst nightmare. It is not uncommon that the load does not clear customs even if the broker, who`s job it was to make sure it does told you on the phone everything is good to go to proceed to the border. Once you are there you are 100% responsible and they don`t care what the broker told you.
Yes, not only should there be a base pay as you suggested, but a few laws & regulations should also be changed. I have seen quite a few "newbees" who just spent ~ 3 to 4000 $ to get their license walk away from trucking because all the rules are stacked against the drivers.

 

[MarathonMike]

That's really interesting I had no idea there were so many rules and regs. Something has to change I read the average age of a truck driver is near 55 years old.

 

[polarbear]

Again you are right. Most people are not aware what truck drivers really have to do. They think that all they do is sit behind the steering wheel like a taxi driver and that`s it. If they would know better they would be more courteous in traffic and not "lane hop" cutting in right in front of us or trying to pass us on the inside when we have to turn....and hope not to get flattened by the trailer which off-tracks way inside the tractor`s turn radius. It can get frustrating how often you get cut off when you have to turn at intersections and more often than not you arrive late for loading or unloading. And yet the same people who obstruct trucks expect to see the goods they transport in the stores when they go shopping. Just listen the next time you see a tractor trailer at an intersection how many gear shifts he has to make just to get across. You also have the average age for truckers pretty well pegged and that should be a cause for concern in any country especially in large countries like Canada or the US. For some reason politicians are not really concerned about it. In Canada they very obviously rely on immigrants to fill the gap.
The problem is that many of those come from countries where it`s a big deal if you are able to drive a car or just small trucks. Once here they get welfare and their transport truck license courtesy of the tax payer. On top of that they get to do all their tests with an examiner who is of the same ethnic group. They hand out licenses to people and let them loose on our roads driving heavy rigs, causing accidents that a qualified driver would have never gotten into. Normally such drivers get fired. But not if you are an immigrant who got sponsored by the government. Besides being shielded by political correctness they also come cheaper because the government subsidizes their wages.
Before these policies there were also restrictions to drive in mountainous regions like British Columbia, the Yukon or the Alaska highway and that was for good reasons ! But these extra qualifications are no longer required presumably to accommodate the kind of "truck drivers" I mentioned here.
I would advise anyone planning to drive on our roads to be wary of trucks, no kidding ! I could fill pages with the stuff I`ve seen when one of those drivers was behind the steering wheel.
It`s quite obvious that the rules and regs concerning trucking have been dictated by lobbyists none of whom represent the drivers ( the experienced and av.age 55 you mentioned) or the public`s interest (& or safety).

 

[longknife]

The industries that are hiring, and the ones that aren't

The news is filled with glowing job reports, unemployment at record low levels, and businesses begging for workers. But, who are they?

The winners

Health care and education services

Goods producing and manufacturing

Leisure and hospitality

The Losers

Retail continues to dip

Young People

Truck driving

More @ Go deeper: The industries that are hiring, and the ones that aren't

 

[Syriusly]

Again you are right. Most people are not aware what truck drivers really have to do. They think that all they do is sit behind the steering wheel like a taxi driver and that`s it. If they would know better they would be more courteous in traffic and not "lane hop" cutting in right in front of us or trying to pass us on the inside when we have to turn....and hope not to get flattened by the trailer which off-tracks way inside the tractor`s turn radius. It can get frustrating how often you get cut off when you have to turn at intersections and more often than not you arrive late for loading or unloading. And yet the same people who obstruct trucks expect to see the goods they transport in the stores when they go shopping. Just listen the next time you see a tractor trailer at an intersection how many gear shifts he has to make just to get across. You also have the average age for truckers pretty well pegged and that should be a cause for concern in any country especially in large countries like Canada or the US. For some reason politicians are not really concerned about it. In Canada they very obviously rely on immigrants to fill the gap.
The problem is that many of those come from countries where it`s a big deal if you are able to drive a car or just small trucks. Once here they get welfare and their transport truck license courtesy of the tax payer. On top of that they get to do all their tests with an examiner who is of the same ethnic group. They hand out licenses to people and let them loose on our roads driving heavy rigs, causing accidents that a qualified driver would have never gotten into. Normally such drivers get fired. But not if you are an immigrant who got sponsored by the government. Besides being shielded by political correctness they also come cheaper because the government subsidizes their wages.
Before these policies there were also restrictions to drive in mountainous regions like British Columbia, the Yukon or the Alaska highway and that was for good reasons ! But these extra qualifications are no longer required presumably to accommodate the kind of "truck drivers" I mentioned here.
I would advise anyone planning to drive on our roads to be wary of trucks, no kidding ! I could fill pages with the stuff I`ve seen when one of those drivers was behind the steering wheel.
It`s quite obvious that the rules and regs concerning trucking have been dictated by lobbyists none of whom represent the drivers ( the experienced and av.age 55 you mentioned) or the public`s interest (& or safety).

Thanks- I am no trucker but I deal with them and have heard much of what you said by people I know.

Something you didn't mention but another reason why younger people may not be considering the job is that automation is coming. Several companies are already testing autonomous trucks with drivers essentially as backups.

Why go into an industry that may eliminate 50% of the jobs within 10-15 years?

 

[Moonglow]

It would be great but the money isn't there. Not anymore. It's some BS to keep using undocumented workers.
Trucker pay has plummeted in the last 30 years, analyst says

(there's more out there to read on it)

My sister owns a trucking company and the number one problem she has right now is finding someone in her area that can pass a drug test.

I can answer any questions about drugs on a test..

 

[Moonglow]

My eldest son is a trucker, he 34, not married, no kids and pretty much likes to travel...and he gets paid to do it...I can think of a lot more jobs that are tougher...and pays less..

 

[polarbear]

Again you are right. Most people are not aware what truck drivers really have to do. They think that all they do is sit behind the steering wheel like a taxi driver and that`s it. If they would know better they would be more courteous in traffic and not "lane hop" cutting in right in front of us or trying to pass us on the inside when we have to turn....and hope not to get flattened by the trailer which off-tracks way inside the tractor`s turn radius. It can get frustrating how often you get cut off when you have to turn at intersections and more often than not you arrive late for loading or unloading. And yet the same people who obstruct trucks expect to see the goods they transport in the stores when they go shopping. Just listen the next time you see a tractor trailer at an intersection how many gear shifts he has to make just to get across. You also have the average age for truckers pretty well pegged and that should be a cause for concern in any country especially in large countries like Canada or the US. For some reason politicians are not really concerned about it. In Canada they very obviously rely on immigrants to fill the gap.
The problem is that many of those come from countries where it`s a big deal if you are able to drive a car or just small trucks. Once here they get welfare and their transport truck license courtesy of the tax payer. On top of that they get to do all their tests with an examiner who is of the same ethnic group. They hand out licenses to people and let them loose on our roads driving heavy rigs, causing accidents that a qualified driver would have never gotten into. Normally such drivers get fired. But not if you are an immigrant who got sponsored by the government. Besides being shielded by political correctness they also come cheaper because the government subsidizes their wages.
Before these policies there were also restrictions to drive in mountainous regions like British Columbia, the Yukon or the Alaska highway and that was for good reasons ! But these extra qualifications are no longer required presumably to accommodate the kind of "truck drivers" I mentioned here.
I would advise anyone planning to drive on our roads to be wary of trucks, no kidding ! I could fill pages with the stuff I`ve seen when one of those drivers was behind the steering wheel.
It`s quite obvious that the rules and regs concerning trucking have been dictated by lobbyists none of whom represent the drivers ( the experienced and av.age 55 you mentioned) or the public`s interest (& or safety).

Thanks- I am no trucker but I deal with them and have heard much of what you said by people I know.

Something you didn't mention but another reason why younger people may not be considering the job is that automation is coming. Several companies are already testing autonomous trucks with drivers essentially as backups.

Why go into an industry that may eliminate 50% of the jobs within 10-15 years?

The younger people who stay away from trucking because they think automation can replace a long haul trucker made the right choice but for the wrong reason.
The only companies that could use autonomous trucks are the ones who do local deliveries. All they need is just a larger version of an autonomous Google car to get the goods from the local warehouse terminal to the stores. It would never be feasible if not outright impossible to implement that for the 1.st leg, the transport of products from the factories that produced them to the terminals where so called "day cabs" pick them up to deliver them in that particular city. Why would the first leg be so difficult?
Because one day you have to pick up a reefer, the next day it might be a flat bed trailer carrying an oversized load and on another you might have to pull a hopper trailer.
Each one requires special duties the driver has to perform and I am pretty sure that it would be fruitless and mega expensive trying to make the robotics that can perform everything a single long haul truck driver can do. What is the point of having an "autonomous" truck if you still need a driver as back up? You can save a lot of money and forget about the investment $$$ for the "autonomous" just by using a truck driver who knows when and how to chain up before driving into steep country on slippery roads, while an "autonomous" truck would still need a driver to decide when to chain up, when to remove them again and put then back on the chain racks. That`s just one example. It gets even more complicated with flat beds and oversized loads. The only thing the "autonomous" technology might be good for, is that there is no "on duty" time limit a human driver has to observe. It could keep on rolling down the interstate all day and all night.
To do just that it would be silly to spend all that money for that gimmick. You can do the same thing much cheaper with a pair of team drivers. Many of the long haul trucks are driven by teams who switch duty/rest cycles every 10 hours. But it`s not everybody`s cup of tea to be cooped up 24 hours/day with another guy and his smelly socks and underwear.
You have the choice to drive alone or as part of a team. But the point I am trying to make is that a 2.nd team driver will cost any company only a tiny fraction of the cost of a not so "autonomous truck" which still needs a real driver for all the other stuff besides just handling the steering wheel.

 

[Mr Natural]

Sitting on your ass all day in a truck still beats sitting on your ass all day in an office.

 

[longknife]

All this discussion seems to be about OTC drivers. There are tens of thousands of local drivers needed.

 

[Manonthestreet]

Snowflake generation that had everything handed to em doesn't know how to or want to work. Had a customer of mine make this observation of her peers.

 

[Skull Pilot]

Companies need 50,000 and they’ll earn $80k per year. So, why is it so hard to find drivers? Here’s why:



Most said the answer is simple: The lifestyle is rough. You barely see your family, you rarely shower, and you get little respect from car drivers, police or major retailers. Michael Dow said he has been divorced twice because of trucking. Donna Penland said she gained 60 pounds her first year from sitting all day and a lack of healthful food on the road.



More @ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/05/28/america-has-a-massive-truck-driver-shortage-heres-why-few-want-an-80000-job/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.81485036b092

Here we go again people say they get fat because they can't get "healthy food"

How much you want to be this woman would have been a fat cow if she had an office job?

Do you really believe she was incapable of carrying a cooler full of fresh fruit and veggies in her truck?

 

[Skull Pilot]

Again you are right. Most people are not aware what truck drivers really have to do. They think that all they do is sit behind the steering wheel like a taxi driver and that`s it. If they would know better they would be more courteous in traffic and not "lane hop" cutting in right in front of us or trying to pass us on the inside when we have to turn....and hope not to get flattened by the trailer which off-tracks way inside the tractor`s turn radius. It can get frustrating how often you get cut off when you have to turn at intersections and more often than not you arrive late for loading or unloading. And yet the same people who obstruct trucks expect to see the goods they transport in the stores when they go shopping. Just listen the next time you see a tractor trailer at an intersection how many gear shifts he has to make just to get across. You also have the average age for truckers pretty well pegged and that should be a cause for concern in any country especially in large countries like Canada or the US. For some reason politicians are not really concerned about it. In Canada they very obviously rely on immigrants to fill the gap.
The problem is that many of those come from countries where it`s a big deal if you are able to drive a car or just small trucks. Once here they get welfare and their transport truck license courtesy of the tax payer. On top of that they get to do all their tests with an examiner who is of the same ethnic group. They hand out licenses to people and let them loose on our roads driving heavy rigs, causing accidents that a qualified driver would have never gotten into. Normally such drivers get fired. But not if you are an immigrant who got sponsored by the government. Besides being shielded by political correctness they also come cheaper because the government subsidizes their wages.
Before these policies there were also restrictions to drive in mountainous regions like British Columbia, the Yukon or the Alaska highway and that was for good reasons ! But these extra qualifications are no longer required presumably to accommodate the kind of "truck drivers" I mentioned here.
I would advise anyone planning to drive on our roads to be wary of trucks, no kidding ! I could fill pages with the stuff I`ve seen when one of those drivers was behind the steering wheel.
It`s quite obvious that the rules and regs concerning trucking have been dictated by lobbyists none of whom represent the drivers ( the experienced and av.age 55 you mentioned) or the public`s interest (& or safety).

Thanks- I am no trucker but I deal with them and have heard much of what you said by people I know.

Something you didn't mention but another reason why younger people may not be considering the job is that automation is coming. Several companies are already testing autonomous trucks with drivers essentially as backups.

Why go into an industry that may eliminate 50% of the jobs within 10-15 years?

We are a lot farther away than 15 years

 

[Skull Pilot]

It's going to take a true AI to coordinate driver-less cars. Think of the millions of variables and split second choices that will need to be made because we all know that while we see automotive accident deaths as acceptable risk when cars are driverless there will be no risk tolerance given

 

[polarbear]

I almost forgot. Besides reefers, flat beds, oversized loads we also haul dangerous goods more often than not. That includes everything from toxic & corrosive chemicals, flammables and explosives. Hahaha that will be the day when DOT will give the okay for "autonomous" truck driving systems to handle trailers loaded with hazardous goods.
Who would get the blame when shit happens? It`s already pretty obvious from what was in the news that the companies who make autonomous driving systems don`t accept even any legal responsibility for simple car fender benders. Neither do the owners who bought and used it. You could apply that old military proverb: "Victory has many fathers, but defeat is an orphan". There is no ambiguity who winds up getting sentenced & convicted when there was no autonomous driver, but a human driver. When you get schooled for long haul driving they make you aware that the entire system copies maritime law, right down to the terminology used in trucking and what applies to a ship`s captain applies to the driver. He has to accept full responsibility for everything that happens from the time he signed the bill of lading till it gets signed by the receiver. If you have to cross a border you find out that the Customs authority at the "port of entry" considers the driver as the legal owner for the freight. Which makes it real easy for them to decide who gets penalized if anything is not as it should be.
The more I find out how underhanded and biased Google operates the more I wish they would indeed offer autonomous trucks and then sit back and watch them squirm after one of those screwed up.Muahahaha !