Homesteading Forum banner

The sad state of American Trucking

10K views 196 replies 26 participants last post by  mreynolds 
#1 ·
Professions come and go, markets fluctuate, and the world, well, the world in general changes constantly. Nonetheless, it's a sad state of affairs when America's most common job, trucking, is in peril. Trucking is hard, arduous, and draining work. Yet 1.7 million people have this job. Since deregulation, however, the trucking economy has suffered tremendously. Even worse, automated trucks loom on the horizon. Legislators would do well to begin setting up regulations to brace for impact. Unfortunately, we are much more reactionary and proactive. Shifting such a huge job market suddenly could prove disastrous for the country, and we are ill equipped to handle disasters at this point. We would do well to encourage better understanding of the trucking economy, and encourage legislators to do the same.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/05/...mtyp=cur&_r=0&referer=https://m.facebook.com/
 
#2 ·
We're probably a decade at best from wide spread use of the driverless vehicles. As it stands today, there are thousands of unfilled truck driving jobs to be had every day.

I'd like to see our country rebuild the rail system and get some of these trucks off the roads period. It would make things much safer, plus eliminate a lot of the wear on the roadways.
 
#4 ·
The larger fleets are for the most part training fleets, and the new drivers get treated pretty rough, your just a number, your new to the life style (and yes this is a lifestyle career) some companies will keep drivers out from 3-8 weeks.

I don't believe it's going to take a decade for driverless (although there will be a driver in the train) Europe is real world testing the technology now. I also believe there will be a need for people driven trucks in several of the niche hauling fields.

I don't know where the author got the low pay thing if your willing to work you can make a really good living, the best is owning your truck and having your own authority tho. Of course finding a niche market and fulfilling it is always best.
 
#6 ·
The complaints I hear about are things like DOT hassles, weigh stations, log books (many going electronic), hours restrictions (even when you're not behind the wheel), and butt hole drivers everywhere (some of which are truckers).

I happen to agree with the idea of developing the rail system much more, both for freight and people moving.
 
#7 ·
The complaints you are hearing are drivers who just don't want to comply with the rules. True you have to plan your trips, but what's wrong with that?
There are no hours restrictions once you are off duty not sure where your getting.

Butt hole drivers have been around since there where more than 3 drivers on the road. I will agree that the trucking industry drivers have changed from being helpful to being ass hats for the most part, but then that's just a furthering of society in general...
 
#9 ·
Good to hear from the other side of the fence, so to speak. However I have heard from some truckers that it's hard to get good pay, if can be really hard to move up the ladder, and like the article said, the whole industry may soon be thrown into upheaval by auto driving. That couple seriously damage the economy - people really don't like changing jobs.
 
#12 ·
So in your opinion, is it a dead end job? I know a family who has their own trucking company. They had four drivers and were growing fast in just the year or two I knew them. However, the article did also point out that it's hard to drive and go to college, even night school.
 
#19 ·
Well they only had 11 HOURS logged off duty. The issuing officer claimed that since they didn't log any sleeper time they could have spent the time in the casino.
That's the basis the citation was issued on.
And yes we know it legal to spend you off duty time in a casino but that's what the officer said.
 
#28 ·
There are many reasons for the driver turnover rate and the blame isn't one sided.

It's not as easy as it looks and like any occupation, the pros and cons have to mesh with the individual.
If you can't stand the physical and emotional demands, you won't like it no matter how much money you make.
As far as how much you DO make, it often isn't up to the driver. Maybe partly, but definitely not 100%.
The biggest factor comes out of the dispatch.
If a company is run good, the loads are dispatched as sequentially and geographically as possible. If the management doesn't give a darn, you can run loads all over the place, always behind schedule and waiting around for days when you're not..............usually 1,000 miles from your home or family.

Lease deals on equipment, breakdowns, tolls and traffic - you name it and if the people giving the orders are "logistically challenged" it doesn't take long to figure out you picked the wrong company to drive for. The happiest truckers I know are owner operators for small companies where they make money by working smarter, not harder.
If they want the load, it's on their route or dumps off close to home, they can grab it and go. If not, let someone else take it to a big city with no way to back to the dock and a 36 hour wait to load/unload.

There's even more, but ya get the picture.
 
#38 ·
There are lots of things that are "possible" but may not be in widespread use.

An example is full automatic transmissions in class 8 tractors. Not only do they exist, they actually work very well. Are you likely to run in to a random truck driver that's using one? Probably not.
 
#40 ·
Actually automatic equipped over the road trucks are very common in fact they may outnumber manual transmissions in that application at this point.
I'm sure someone will have a link to the exact numbers soon.
But it is one of the reasons that I advocate testing drivers in a automatic equip truck to receive an unlimited license.
A truck automatic while convenient and a useful tool for beginners is in other ways far more complicated and deadly than a manual transmission
 
#41 ·
That seem like a pretty rude and disrespect full thing to say.
It's the truth. You can go from hauling freight to hauling frac trailers, your pay might change but your still only driving a truck. I have my CDL to drive a service truck. I can only work 14 hours a day as well. After seeing some west Texas accidents north of pecos I am actually glad for dot.
 
#42 ·
That's cause the ladder is broken.
Did you see the second half of the following ?

First off you need to put in about 5 years before you become a long haul driver.
Then most specialties require a few years before you can get in them
Them once in it usually takes more years to move up in that specialty.

You don't just haul a quarter million pounds over Loveland on your 16 th birthday.

Then you start to move into management
, dispatcher , safety ,HR,training etc.
At least that's how it used to be.
Now with irrelevant requirements for degrees a lot of the top is gone so the old man and his experiance often goes home to live like a pauper on disability while ignorant children with degrees get management positions.
The upside is once home that driver might be able to work on a degree.
 
#43 ·
We're probably a decade at best from wide spread use of the driverless vehicles. As it stands today, there are thousands of unfilled truck driving jobs to be had every day.

I'd like to see our country rebuild the rail system and get some of these trucks off the roads period. It would make things much safer, plus eliminate a lot of the wear on the roadways.
canyou imagine how much the terrorists loved your post ???? my guess is them saying ---ow look their going to gather up all their dangerous things into one load & drive it right into cities in bulk ,,man are we ever going to save on explosives lalalalallaboom

somehow I feel safer with a driver in each truck & less lethal toxins and flammable liquids all combined together in massive trains
 
#44 ·
Fishindude said:
I'd like to see our country rebuild the rail system and get some of these trucks off the roads period. It would make things much safer, plus eliminate a lot of the wear on the roadways.
That still won't get trucks off the road.
CSX is building a large freight terminal not too far from here, which will serve to increase truck traffic exponentially.
http://www.areadevelopment.com/news...nnector-edgecombe-county-north-carolina.shtml

According to state officials, CCX will transfer containerized cargo between trains and trucks, processing more than 260,000 containers per year initially.
 
#48 ·
Some one is wrong here. I saw an article today or yesterday that said there was shortage of truckers and the going rate was 80-100k year depending on miles of course. Now I tend to believe mine because I know the owners of the trucking companies around me and they are hiring every week and the turnover is often. Thats why they hire every week. One HAZMAT hauler I know is paying 120k to drop gasoline and diesel and home every night. Thats unheard of here in my neck of the woods. Houses dont cost that much here. Its like a Dr. being able to pay for his house in one year at a million or so.

Makes me wish I had more than a class B just to drive the fire truck at the volunteer FD. I am helping a guy that cant read or write to study for his test so he can get on board with them.
 
#52 ·
I think there are two different worlds here, local and long distance. I drove long distance for only a few months and figured I would rather sleep in my own bed at night so the rest of my 30 years driving have been local. Made pretty good money although I worked hard for it delivering construction equipment and water and now building supplies.

Driverless trucks may make an impact in long distance or local dock to dock deliveries but there are so many other jobs which require more then just sitting behind the wheel. No computer is going to load and chain the equipment for me so even though the truck might be driverless a person still has to load it. I doubt a driverless truck is going to safely negotiate itself down a rough logging road or successfully get around the downtown of a big city safely. Way too many variables.

I"m not anti technology, I think driverless vehicles, both cars and trucks, will make up a certain percentage of the market eventually but there will always be certain base markets and industries that will remain human operated, not the least of which will be many people who simply want to drive.

Most drivers I know who work locally make pretty good money, getting paid hourly, overtime, etc. There is lots of trucking work here in Ontario with many companies looking for drivers. Yes, even local driving can involve long hours, I probably averaged 55-60 hours a week over most of my driving career but the money is good as long as you are willing to work hard.
 
#53 ·
LOL.
I love reading these posts.
You can tell which ones come from real life experiences and which ones come from just reading about it.

I'm not picking on fishing dude, but to use as an example, I wish I knew how many times I heard someone talk about railroads as an alternative to trucks for moving freight.

Now, think about this.
How many stores that you go to, have a railroad track going past the back door of their warehouse and of THOSE, how many could allow traffic to be blocked for hours while that train made a stop to be unloaded?

NOW, you know why the argument is so funny to truck drivers.
 
#85 ·
Yep my understanding about $10,000 per truck on a $100, 000 truck that doesn't even give you a down payment. I'm sure you saw some of those trucks, most were old mechanical engine trucks, so you couldn't even adapt the emissions upgrades to them. Heck a couple of the trucker sites I'm on, those based in California are still under the wavers.
 
#91 ·
It's not the truth that's rude so much as how it's said.
"What ladder? You are a truck driver. "
Implies there is no difference in skills or worth between the first day with a CDL skill and those of a guy bringing a quarter million pounds over Loveland.
In my case I am one of about 100 drivers in the nation ( and probably the world) qualified to do what I do. I often supervise a crew while doing my job. I also pre and post consult.
I'm proud of driving trucks , it got me where I am and even though my other enterprises would allow me to never set a hand in one again I still do from time to time.
It was the ladder that allowed me to do that.
 
#95 ·
In my case I am one of about 100 drivers in the nation ( and probably the world) qualified to do what I do
And the only one who has shot "thousands" of dogs too.
And a pilot...
And a 25 year shepherd and farmer.......
You must be about 190 years old to have all that experience. :rolleyes:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top