Nobody's hiring??

[outtaservice]

Is the economy that bad? I was in Knoxville last week on vacation and liked it so much I decided to check out a few companies. An interesting response I got from two of them was, "I don't know if we're hiring, check our website." Another had a sign that said "drivers wanted" but told me they were just taking applications at this time. A couple other outfits said they weren't hiring at all. Curious, I called Schneider (!) and was told that they didn't have any dedicated or regional, just OTR and I could get home for 1.5 days every two weeks. So are things really that bad? Maybe I should of went to the unemployment office... that's how I found my present job.

[Copperhead]

Things are not terrible, but they are not that good either. This always goes in cycles. I have seen quite a few swings in hiring over the last quarter of a century. We are just in one of those times where the trucking companies can be real picky about who they hire. The only drivers in this cycle that can land a job just about anywhere are those that have a lot of experience, a spotless DAC and MVR, and a solid, steady work history with no job hopping. It's the nature of the beast. When the economy swings back around, then the companies will go back to hiring anyone who can fog a mirror. The large carriers are still taking newbies and offering training. Most carriers are still doing some sort of hiring, but the options are mighty slim. My carrier is still hiring company drivers and owner ops, but you got to be someone who will catch their eye to get a shot at it.

One thing I do like about this situation is that the slackers and idiots who normally just shuffle along at this business are being weeded out and the better quality drivers are being retained. I hate to see anyone lose a job, but there it is.

[Phreddo]

I'm at a point right now where i just started a job running mail. So even if the economy is slow, due to christmas, my work is picking up. The downside is that i have to run on christmas eve/christmas day. I get holiday pay, but the bigger point is that i feel i need to show that i'm a go-to guy, so that when times get tight and they are thinking of making cuts, I want to be on the "nice" list.

That's the theory, let's see how it works in practice.

[zipy46]

Hiring ?


The current conditions where I drive....

Mileage has gone down by about two thirds...averages now running about 1300 per week.

In general only the worst bottom feeders hire in times like these.
They get you in a truck and leave ya hanging...they really s&*t on you.

Good luck

[Copperhead]

True, the bottom feeders are hiring. They always do. The good carriers are hiring, but with the economic situation, they are in the great (for them) position of being very, very selective of whom they hire. The carrier I am leased on with is hiring, but they brought in a heavy hitter as the new recruiter/screener. We are still hiring since they ordered 16 new tractors and 60 trailers. Company driver hiring is going on quietly.... they are not hurting so they don't go actively looking for drivers. They still put out an occasional ad for O/O, but an O/O better have his act together real tight to get on board.

All that being said.... the miles are still great. A real solid customer base. I will put away nearly 40,000 miles this quarter. All the while, spending each weekend and holidays at home, by the house a couple of times a week, and no waiting for the next load. Well planned out system. Heck, if I didn't listen to the radio and the CB rants, I would never know that anything was wrong with the economy.

[GMAN]

I have had a lot of drivers contact me for work. Most have been qualified, at least from their mvr and prescreen. If I had 3 or 4 more trucks I could easily fill the seats in a matter of about a week or so. That is unusual. For the last several years it has been a real challenge to find decent drivers. Now there is an abundance. I may or may not add more trucks after the first of the year. With the economy slumping and rates in the basement I am not sure that this is a time to take on more debt. It is good to have more of a selection of drivers who are actually qualified for the position. I expect to see less moving around of drivers and more who have experience and good mvr's applying during the coming year. I usually don't hire those who have done a lot of job hopping.

[outtaservice]

Luckily, I can still work for my present company and live in TN should I decide to move. I'm still keeping busy... even worked today. (I usually don't work weekends) But the work is available, especially when a couple drivers quit because there are certain runs they don't like. Just more work for the rest of us. I know they have removed the "hiring driver's" signs and turned away a friend of mine that was looking for work. I think right now everyone is taking a "wait and see" approach to this economy.

[WarHorse]

USA is still hiring replacements for the quitters, but freight is so slow now and the company so screwed that no matter what we do, we're wrong. Stay and the miles suck (no breakdown or detention pay, either), or leave and be a job hopper and risk not getting another position.

I'm at our Vandalia OH terminal and the break room is full. Most of us are stuck here until Monday because most of the techs have been laid off and the shop is closed Sundays now.

Ain't life grand? lol

[Mike Hunt]

USA is still hiring replacements for the quitters, but freight is so slow now and the company so screwed that no matter what we do, we're wrong. Stay and the miles suck (no breakdown or detention pay, either), or leave and be a job hopper and risk not getting another position.

I'm at our Vandalia OH terminal and the break room is full. Most of us are stuck here until Monday because most of the techs have been laid off and the shop is closed Sundays now.

Ain't life grand? lol

I put my notice in this week because of all the sitting around for no pay and all the 200 mile shag runs with 2 days to run. If I'm gonna sit around it might as well be at home where I can kick back and watch TV in my own living room. I'm tired of hanging out in these stinky truckstops, rest areas, company terminals, etc. It must be nice for these companies to have so many drivers sitting around on call for free. They don't care if you quit they'll just hire another out of work Joe for less money and put him behind the wheel and see how much BS and low pay he can take. I'm done with trucking this job stinks. I'd rather work at McDonalds.

[Bug]

Sorry to hear about the crappy miles mike. I have only ran 1400 miles this week myself and get paid 70 percent of what the load is worth, plus truck payment ,insurance and maintence fund not much left over for anything else.

[Howard]

just wondering who you work for and do they hire out of chatt tn area

[WarHorse]

I wouldn't blame USA for slow freight. I do blame them for no breakdown/layover, but it was my choice to go with them. I didn't see anyone else posting (here or anywhere) that they didn't pay when the truck wasn't moving for no fault of the driver. Oopsie.

Supposedly the brass is not happy with the ProStars so we're switching to Cascadias next year. I'm trying to stick around long enough to get one of those. The way things are going it might pay better to flip burgers. I've never flipped burgers. Shovelled a lot of ****, though.

[Daddy's Rig]

When the ecomy is crap..like it is now..There's a whole lotta sitting going on..For the newbies,take some movies with you and hope you're in a good area to watch tv..I hear upsfreight truckload is hiring.
upsfreightjobs.com

[rigidsporty]

I put my notice in this week because of all the sitting around for no pay and all the 200 mile shag runs with 2 days to run. If I'm gonna sit around it might as well be at home where I can kick back and watch TV in my own living room. I'm tired of hanging out in these stinky truckstops, rest areas, company terminals, etc. It must be nice for these companies to have so many drivers sitting around on call for free. They don't care if you quit they'll just hire another out of work Joe for less money and put him behind the wheel and see how much BS and low pay he can take. I'm done with trucking this job stinks. I'd rather work at McDonalds.

I'm ALMOST to that point myself... I went back OTR to make money and thats not happening. I figured up my average weekly pay since I started with this company and its around $450 take home... hell I was almost making that at the warehouse I was at - plus home nightly and no weekends. I wish the hell I stayed there now.

[b00m]

Quite slow for myself.As an independent freight slow down as with rates too.Very unusual for this time of the year,since you're in the holiday season.Don't even want to think what's going to be in the next 4 months....

[Syncrosonix]

with things the way they are now, i'm averaging 2100 miles week, which is the weekly quota, but the weekly mileage i run has dropped by a thousand. used to net about $1,023, and take home around $800 of that net pay. being a single person sucks because of the taxes involved. anyway, it's now down to where the gross pay is a bit less than what it used to. it totally blows and has me seriously thinking of going back to school to do something other than trucking. the thing holding me back is my lack of math skills.

[Creek Jackson]

True, the bottom feeders are hiring. They always do. The good carriers are hiring, but with the economic situation, they are in the great (for them) position of being very, very selective of whom they hire. The carrier I am leased on with is hiring, but they brought in a heavy hitter as the new recruiter/screener. We are still hiring since they ordered 16 new tractors and 60 trailers. Company driver hiring is going on quietly.... they are not hurting so they don't go actively looking for drivers. They still put out an occasional ad for O/O, but an O/O better have his act together real tight to get on board.

All that being said.... the miles are still great. A real solid customer base. I will put away nearly 40,000 miles this quarter. All the while, spending each weekend and holidays at home, by the house a couple of times a week, and no waiting for the next load. Well planned out system. Heck, if I didn't listen to the radio and the CB rants, I would never know that anything was wrong with the economy.

Yeah and I'm the Queen of England.

[Bumper]

I went to work for IWX the first week in September and Im still the new guy on the block.

[repete]

I wouldn't blame USA for slow freight. I do blame them for no breakdown/layover, but it was my choice to go with them. I didn't see anyone else posting (here or anywhere) that they didn't pay when the truck wasn't moving for no fault of the driver. Oopsie.

Supposedly the brass is not happy with the ProStars so we're switching to Cascadias next year. I'm trying to stick around long enough to get one of those. The way things are going it might pay better to flip burgers. I've never flipped burgers. Shovelled a lot of ****, though.

if you can shovel **** you can flip burgers, same thing!

[bentstrider]

if you can shovel **** you can flip burgers, same thing!

Well, if one's going to go that route, I would at least go to work for "In'N'Out".

They actually start their burger-flippers off at $10/hr!!!
And after a little time, you could actually move up to their warehousing/trucking division and make bank there as well.

Not to mention the working-conditions there are better than McDonalds.

Probably one of the few things good about California, better selection of food as opposed to other areas where the super-sleazy chains take up all the space.

So, in short, "In'N'Out" pwns "McDonalds" on so many levels, one wonders why McDonalds even bothers to stay in business.