Hiring Freezes?

[just_froggy]

I was talking to a driver a few weeks ago. He said that he heard, I don't know where, but with the high price of diesel and shipping rates going through the roof, that some companies are or may be doing a freeze on hiring. I find this hard to belive with the turnover in the industry, but has anyone heard of any companies doing this? It just worries me a little, me and my other half were hoping to be back on the road this month, but because of circumstances beyond our control we have to delay it for a month or two.

[PA]

This may just be temporary.
My company has stopped hiring for the summer too.
Our turn over is way low and we have work to keep us going.
Hang in there, maybe even send out app's now.

[Karnajj]

Heard from a few drivers here at Crete that they stopped hiring driving school graduates and have even tightened up their standards for experienced drivers.

[gmh]

I dunno Karnajj, I saw the Drivers Wanted signs still up in New Kingston about 10 days ago. And Blue Beetle was visiting some driving schools recently.

[zipy46]

I talked to one company and it wasn't that they didn't need drivers
it was just that the ones they had were not bailing out...Their turnover
had practically come to a halt.

Simply stated: all their trucks were currently full.

'Freeze' seems to be a misleading word.

From what I have noticed when people are uncertain they sit still and stay where they are....Like deer in the headlights :shock:

[whatsmynameagain]

I talked to one company and it wasn't that they didn't need drivers
it was just that the ones they had were not bailing out...Their turnover
had practically come to a halt.

Simply stated: all their trucks were currently full.

'Freeze' seems to be a misleading word.

From what I have noticed when people are uncertain they sit still and stay where they are....Like deer in the headlights :shock:

I agree with that last sentence because that is exactly where I am currently at, I want to go from where I am because its not going well with no real promise of getting better anytime soon....but it doesnt seem to be much better anywhere else right now so I am just boarding up the fort and sitting tight where i am for now.

[Jimbpard]

NEMF Pittsburgh terminal has had a hiring freeze since Feb.

[zipy46]

I talked to one company and it wasn't that they didn't need drivers
it was just that the ones they had were not bailing out...Their turnover
had practically come to a halt.

Simply stated: all their trucks were currently full.

'Freeze' seems to be a misleading word.

From what I have noticed when people are uncertain they sit still and stay where they are....Like deer in the headlights :shock:

I agree with that last sentence because that is exactly where I am currently at, I want to go from where I am because its not going well with no real promise of getting better anytime soon....but it doesnt seem to be much better anywhere else right now so I am just boarding up the fort and sitting tight where i am for now.

I have found trucking to be an odd existence...Its either the frying pan or the fire.

[Copperhead]

Even when times are rough, a good driver can find a good deal. It is times like this that having an excellent driving record, proven reliability, and no "job hopping" record will make locating a job easy if your company tanks. The company I am with has always been a little picky about who they will put in a truck, but even more so now. With this economy, it is no longer a driver's market. Will come around eventually. It always does. Even in these times, I still have a few carriers (that I will never work for anyway) call me and make an offer. JB, for one, calls me at least once a month. Why, I'll never know or even how they managed to get my cell phone number. Never applied to them in the past and have no interest in doing business with them.

[ZMDWEBE]

I talked with MAY and all their trucks are full. That does sound good for them. I also called Interstate about a month ago and they have changed their hiring practice. A driver must have at least 12 months with one carrier to be considered.

[bluebeetle]

KARNAJJ wrote "Heard from a few drivers here at Crete that they stopped hiring driving school graduates and have even tightened up their standards for experienced drivers."

Gee does this mean I no longer have a job? Seeing as I am the Student Driver Recruiter for Crete/Shaffer and Hunt wouldn't I be the first to know?

We have quit students from schools that are in not ideal locations for freight as well as non-ptdi schools and a couple that are certified but have had problems with the students that have come from them.

[Root]

I've only been at the wheel a little over 3 yrs but I see a pattern here at my company that gets repeated:
The Hiring/ Orientation process never stops.
When we're blowin' n goin', some pretty lousy drivers get through the System and we end up fighting the Accident Booger... a dumbazz is a dumbazz.
When things tighten down, they institute The Booger Rake and it doesn't take much foolishness to get fired..
And the Hiring/ Orientation process never stops..
Somewhere along the line, we're looking for an overall Balance of Drivers-to-Freight Volume while shooting for the Goal of higher overall Driver Quality in the ranks. :shock: Impossible? Maybe.... It's a longterm goal 4 shur.
Another thing I'm seeing around here is an increase in the Frequency of the OMG Chit n Git Bubble where Freight Traffic Peaks are measured in weeks instead of months. Good Lord I'd hate to be behind that Company Desk right now, trying to figure all this out. :nervous:
On the bright side of it, we've recently instituted the Cat Rewards Program - instead o turning everybody's unit down, only the Shucks are gonna get hit... And while a bump to 66mph up from the previous lockdown o 65mph doesn't amount to Squat Doodly compared to The Ungoverned amongst us, there is a 'good enuff' difference when running all these damd hills on all these damd lil backroads the Routes dictate, and you can make a lil better showing in the ubiquitous Turtle Races out on the Big Ribbon...

[mdgardner963]

There is a major slow down in spending in reality this is not temp thing i expect it to last for a long time. 2 to 4 years the econmy is slowing faster then most companies expected. Swift schiender werner may and most companies over 100 trucks have 1 tightend or stoped hiring all together.

on a down turm like this it could last 4 or 5 more years but i think recovery will be fast.. I have also noticed in an election year it slows dramaticly i think its both and this could lead to a real down turm..

Good luck i hope you have been in your job a while i even see layoffs.

BUT then again i could be totaly wrong... :shock: