[El Segundo]

Okay, so I am currently getting everything ready to start training with the Big Orange (Schnieder) in a couple of weeks. Already been told that I will be on the National Account, AKA OTR. Thinking of this, I saw an interesting article at a client the other week. This article stated that there is no shortage of truck drivers for OTR. Nope, none at all. Rather the shortage is of people willing to put up with running OTR. Time away from home, hours of service, etc.

This might be a more correct view. While I was at Schnieder (Open House) there was another person that had walked in. He asked the question as to how this worked; if you had a load then did you return to home base empty? One of the instructors then explained that no you might get a load for Pennsylvania, then down to Kentuckey,and finally out to Oklahoma. Hearing that this individual said that he didn't think he would be interested and left real quick. :shock:

So, real shortage or simply shortage of people that would/could do OTR? 8)

[Uturn2001]

IMHO the only real shortage in the trucking industry is the one of respect.

Drivers who do not respect themselves.
Drivers who do not respect the customer.
Trucking companies and dispatchers who do not respect the driver.
Customers who do not respect the driver.

And the list goes on.

[NevadaJim]

I never did believe this shortage of drivers crap. I think the shortage is in companies willing to pay and treat drivers in a way that will retain them. Shortage of drivers....no. Shortage of good companies...yes.

[golfhobo]

Originally Posted by NevadaJim

I never did believe this shortage of drivers crap. I think the shortage is in companies willing to pay and treat drivers in a way that will retain them. Shortage of drivers....no. Shortage of good companies...yes.

I think I DO! But, here's the problem. If there are 2 million companies wanting to ship something to 2 million customers, and they ALL want to ship on Monday.... we need 2 million drivers, who will then sit on their butts the other days of the week. (Figures are just arbitrary.)

I think the shortage is of "available" drivers on the busy days. This Just In Time crap has clogged the roads with trucks!

If 5 years from now, there are twice as many companies... STILL wanting to ship on the SAME day.... we will need twice as many drivers, and the truckstops will be overflowing on the "down days."

[Roadhog]

Right On !.... Uturn !!

That would be my take as well.

I quit my first Employer because the Dispatcher was too disrespectful. (she got hired on 9 months after me)
After I complained to my Boss...he said I'd just have to work it out. I gave it a few more months. She actually played my Boss against me. I was one of two of the Companies top Driver's. The other top Driver quit for the same reasons 2 months after me. She is still there several years later...but I hear they are going through Driver's a lot. Doubt they have yet to hire a Driver of my calibre since.

Both me and the other Driver I spoke of are working for another local Company now...three years hence.

Everytime I wanna quit now...it has to do with disrespect from outside Brokers or Customer's. The problem exists mainly in Reefer work. I deal with uncalled for crap every other place I go to...and sometimes many places in a row. I am an excellent Driver and completely professional and respectful...as well as level-headed whenever I am treated this way. I have a thick skin, and I am much...much more intelligent than these people...so I refuse to give them any pleasure, and never play their game. It makes them stew and fester all the more, and they try every rotten thing possible to "get to me"...like even shorting me pallet exchange, or loading busted up crappy pallets, or "loosing" my load locks, or even trying threats when I refuse to give them "free labor" by breaking down loads. I tell them I did my job...now you do yours....or put the product back on my Trailer, and I'll get out of here.

People at Grocery Warehouses can be the most angry, mean, petty and rotten creeps you can come across. It really gets to you no matter how you try to "forget about it." Usually, this is what makes me think of quitting.

Honest...I am starting to look for a good Flatbed Company out of the Traverse City area. I have had enough Reefer...it is bad and only getting worse.

[silvan]

Originally Posted by El Segundo

So, real shortage or simply shortage of people that would/could do OTR? 8)

Probably the latter. I almost took a job at Lowe's paying some pittance to avoid going OTR. I've never really been a true OTR driver. I slept in the truck, but I didn't have to put up with the crap most of you guys do. Load in Altoona, unload in Phoenix, sit on your ass for two days, deadhead to Santa Fe, unload in Miami, sit on your ass for a day, deadhead to Savannah, unload in Oregon, spend the weekend in Oregon instead of back home in Virginia.

Screw that. I won't say never, but I've avoided it so far, and it's going to be damn hard to ever put up with that. If (when) my current gig dries up, I guess I'll do what I did last time, and sit around the house for over a month looking for another job that isn't real OTR.

So I'm pretty well in this latter category for sure. A sorry ass truck driver who doesn't want to live in the truck. Worthless.

[Highwayman]

Originally Posted by El Segundo

Rather the shortage is of people willing to put up with running OTR.

True.

Originally Posted by Uturn2001

IMHO the only real shortage in the trucking industry is the one of respect.

Drivers who do not respect themselves.
Drivers who do not respect the customer.
Trucking companies and dispatchers who do not respect the driver.
Customers who do not respect the driver.

And the list goes on.

Also true.

Originally Posted by NevadaJim

I think the shortage is in companies willing to pay and treat drivers in a way that will retain them.

And this is true too.

There are ALOT of people who have CDLs who do not drive for a living. There are also alot of people who used to have CDLs and who used to drive for a living who currently do not.

I am among those who have a CDL who do not drive for a living anymore, because I have a shortage of tolerance for the BS that flies around the trucking biz, and a shortage of understanding why I should have such a tolerance.

[One]

Tonnage of freight moved is actually pretty low right now, and a good bit lower than the same period last year according to statistics i saw...Calling this a shortage is like a car dealership saying they have too few salesman to sell cars -unseen