Is There A Driver Glut Right Now?

[Fiddler]

Down here in Florida there are far more dump truck drivers looking for work than there are jobs available. This wasn't always the case. Our construction boom went bust.
How are things in your neck of the woods? Is this economy affecting OTR trucking the same way? Is there still a big demand for drivers fresh out of school like there was a few years ago?

[Roadhog]

No work in N.Michigan.
We are at Depression standards here. We are long past a Recession.
Thank you Republican party...go to hell. :evil:

[Evinrude]

Down here in Florida there are far more dump truck drivers looking for work than there are jobs available. This wasn't always the case. Our construction boom went bust.
How are things in your neck of the woods? Is this economy affecting OTR trucking the same way? Is there still a big demand for drivers fresh out of school like there was a few years ago?

Otr companies will always say they need drivers until they can get drivers wages to Zero or less.

[Roadhog]

Thank you Republican party...go to hell. :evil:

oh...and screw you Democratic Congress. :evil:

[Aligator]

No work in N.Michigan.
We are at Depression standards here. We are long past a Recession.
Thank you Republican party...go to hell. :evil:

I thought Michigan was run by Democrats..heh, heh. Besides, TELL me that the Michigan meltdown started when Bubba left office.!
Nah, it's just the way things are, that's all.

No shortage in my area. In fact I just went to the boss and asked if he needed some drivers. he said no, he had applications but no trucks. I said, "So I guess now is not the time to really push for a pay raise, huh?"
He just looked at me.
I excused myself and hit the road.

[Fredog]

Down here in Florida there are far more dump truck drivers looking for work than there are jobs available. This wasn't always the case. Our construction boom went bust.
How are things in your neck of the woods? Is this economy affecting OTR trucking the same way? Is there still a big demand for drivers fresh out of school like there was a few years ago?

here in Georgia. 13 of our 25 dump trucks are sitting in the yard..

[chuck3507]

The cows milk 25hrs a day 366 days a year!!

[Orangetxguy]

The cows milk 25hrs a day 366 days a year!!

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

Them there equate to some really sore teets !!!!

[Rokk]

OBAMA all the way.................................pharm

[Sheepdancer]

The problems in michigan go way back many many years. There are many reasons for no jobs being in michigan. But the main reason now for the horrible economy there is that Michigan has one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the country in their major cities.
Detroits graduation rate is just a hair over 20%. This affects the economy all over the state. So you combine unions demanding outragious pay and insane benefits, high corporate state and local taxes and a mostly uneducated workforce....why would a huge successful corporation open up industry there in michigan and create jobs? Now, you look at those 3 things and none of those things have anything to do with the federal government. Its your LOCAL government.
Think the economy is bad in michigan now, look at where it is in 10 years unless your local governments do something drastic to attract the corporate world. And also do something about so many people dropping out of school.
Hell, out of all of the companies I recruit for, many of them wont hire drivers out of most of michigan.

[gordoUSA]

Can’t blame it all on the Unions. They have been giving up wages and benefits for 20 years now. New wages now begin @ $14.00 p/hour. In some sort of new tier system. Henry Ford believed if his own workers could not afford to buy the product they were making, his company would fail. At $14.00 p/hour the new workers can still probably buy a few of the cars Ford and GM offer.
The blame with the American auto makers is that they design crap cars!!!
…..
Both GM and Ford now make autos in Mexico and elsewhere to drive down the cost, close plants and eliminate Union jobs, but have you seen the price of a new car drop?
……
Besides, if a person, Union or otherwise, can get the pay, good for them. Who is it that said “ There is NO SUCH THING as an over inflated salary?” Or “ Everyone is this country is FREE to earn as much as they want.” Hmmmmm. Who would say that?

[TCT]

The cows milk 25hrs a day 366 days a year!!

C'mon everybody knows you can only milk a cow twice a day. 8)

I remember working those long hours, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Those were the days.

[chuck3507]

The cows milk 25hrs a day 366 days a year!!

C'mon everybody knows you can only milk a cow twice a day. 8)

I remember working those long hours, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Those were the days.

Yep, long days and weird hours, but I found a pretty good deal. The pay isn't the best but I get 3000miles or more a week and am by the house almost every day.

[Sheepdancer]

Can’t blame it all on the Unions. They have been giving up wages and benefits for 20 years now. New wages now begin @ $14.00 p/hour. In some sort of new tier system. Henry Ford believed if his own workers could not afford to buy the product they were making, his company would fail. At $14.00 p/hour the new workers can still probably buy a few of the cars Ford and GM offer.
The blame with the American auto makers is that they design crap cars!!!
…..
Both GM and Ford now make autos in Mexico and elsewhere to drive down the cost, close plants and eliminate Union jobs, but have you seen the price of a new car drop?
……
Besides, if a person, Union or otherwise, can get the pay, good for them. Who is it that said “ There is NO SUCH THING as an over inflated salary?” Or “ Everyone is this country is FREE to earn as much as they want.” Hmmmmm. Who would say that?

Why did those union jobs go away? Because auto companies decided that they were paying people too much for the work. So even with a union job the free market corrected itself. So I will still say no one is overpaid.(for long) Sometimes wages get too high and the free market corrects itself.
And of course everyone is free to earn as much as they want. If you arent happy with the pay you are getting at one job, you are free to make yourself worth a higher paying job and switch. Or you are always free to do other things for income in your spare time.

[gordoUSA]

Not exactly. The geniuses at the auto companies, made crappy cars which cost them sales. Then they decided they would also carry the paper on those pieces of junk.
No one was holding a gun to the auto makers heads to “force” them to sign the labor deals. Again management made poor decisions in entering into those contracts. They still owe the retirees, and some current employees, $$ billions in retirement fund contributions. In other words they have reneged on their contracts they have agreed to in writing. And it is very doubtful they will make good on their previous contracts.
However, the Unions hierarchy also stole millions from their retirees and union members also. Then they needed more wage concessions from the big 3 to cover their own butts for stealing. But everything comes full circle, once there was a need for the Unions, these new Union style wages helped build the middle class of this country. Then wages and benefits became too high throughout the companies, labor and management, but mostly because the companies could not compete against better made products, and a ballooning payroll of mid level and upper level managers needed to “manage” the new ventures of financing, and debt collections, real estate and mortgage loans, insurance, etc. . Business ventures that had nothing to do with the original company concept, which was making cars. They should have at least spun those new ventures off, separate from the business of making automobiles.
In a honest ‘free market” they should have been allowed to go broke and out of business instead of creating and using various specially written tax rules, exemptions and accounting methods. Which in total amount to forms of “corporate welfare,” which, in the end costs us all money.

[jiptwoo]

Unions, unions, unions, well for 31 years I have been a proud member of the pipefitters, steamfitters union; refrigeration division. I worked hard served a 4 year apprenticeship inclusive of 4 years of school after working all day running pipe thru walls and floors. Or installing a/c units as big as a t/t with electrical control panels the size of a trailers doors with the ability to wire and troubleshoot these systems. With all the repeat customers and continuing work with countless letters of praise to union members for a job well done I will say that we are worth every cent that our contract calls for and the companies that are willing to pay these wages and want only union work. That is called bringing the job in on time and speaks to the quality of work performed. Whether it is a 42 inch carbon steel pipe running 30-40 stories or it is the refrigeration units in the supermarket we do our work with pride. I also have quite a few years doing that old deal; hauling produce ca. to hunts pt. and chelsea, and I have done that with the same pride.