Does trucker switch companies much?
 

Since finding the right company is different for different people do trucker swich much and are you tied into a company for a certain time frame

As with most companies, if your a frequent flyer? Your not going to have very good luck finding a company that will take you on.

Unless a company has financed your schooling and you agree to work for them for a certain amount of time a driver is usually not locked into any one company and may quit at any time.

The down side is that too much job hopping once you enter the industry will cause you to lose out on employment oppurtunites.

Most companies will allow 3 jobs in the first 2 years and 4 in the first 3 and not say much. After that if you have more than 1 per year on average you will start to lose out.

With rare exception it really takes about 6-9 months to figure out if you are going to be reasonably satisfied. It takes that long to learn how a company does things, develop a good relationship with your company, and figure out how to work that company's system to your advantage.

Switching Companys?
 

People switch because eventually they find out that their company is stealing money from them. The bad thing about switching companies is that the next company will do the same thing. Switch for a pay raise would be the right thing to do.

Too many truckers switch companies because:

a) They have no work ethic.
b) They made a poor choice in companies (considering all the info out there).
c) They have no work ethic.
d) The company didn't live up to their promises/the driver's expectations.
e) They have no work ethic.

Industry turnover is, what, 120% annually? When a company thinks drivers are a dime a dozen, they are proven "right" over and over, and they know they can get another ass in the seat and therefore it perpetuates the cycle.

Many drivers have no work ethic, many companies don't care, and on and on.

I have talked to drivers that said they have had 6 driving jobs in two years. This is right after they tried to sell me company fuel. No wonder. Asses in the seats. When truck drivers act like nothing more than trained monkeys and fling $#!+ at the slightest provocation, it's no wonder the companies expect all drivers to be as such.

Companies like JB Hunt and Schneider and Werner and every other big fleet get trashed- and rightfully so in many instances. But you ave drivers like the Whitman brothers at JB Hunt that have been there for a couple of decades and millions of miles. Do you think it was all milk and honey for them? No. but they worked hard and proved themselves and I bet they are treated as close to royalty as you can be as a driver- new trucks, gravy runs and Lord help any dispatcher or saftey guy or anyone else that tried to screw them at this point in their tenure.

Pick a stable company. Earn your wings. Earn your tenure. Later on with the right experience you can pick your company and the rewards are out there. Practically no one ever gets rich operating a single truck either as an O/O or a company driver, but you can find a well-paying job with a good company and have a secure financial life.

-p.

I'm not sure I agree so much with this last point. I picked a stable company, I earned my tenure, and I reached the point where nobody was going to screw with me no matter what I did, but then my company went tits up.

Now I'm at square one. The rookie. I don't mean squat, and I don't have squat for leverage over anything, and I'm at the bottom of the pile all over again, instead of top man on the yard.

Over here, I've got to outlast people who already have 20 years on me to get to the top again. OTOH, that's probably a good sign overall.

(I'll add that I never got any phone calls for what I'd consider the premium jobs around here. Ten years driving and eight of them incident-free didn't get me any job interviews.)

Re: Does trucker switch companies much?
 

hmmmm...

ever hear the one about the bear? you know...the one in the woods...



:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Re: Does trucker switch companies much?
 

Some drivers seem to change jobs more often than they change their underwear. :shock:

Re: Does trucker switch companies much?
 

The only time you would be tied to a company for a time would be if you go to their driving school to get your cdl and they pay for it and in return you must stay anyware from 6months to a year if you leave under that time you have to pay the cost of the driving school.

Also, besides the work ethic of some drivers.....When I left the nw for the midwest....and came off the road, it was hard to find a "local" company that was good. Not knowing the area all that well, I hired onto an industrial mover company as a local driver. My first "local" run (they advertised nothing out of a 250 mile circle) was Canada via Washington state :? I ended up with more road miles than their road drivers. After that I went to work for a tow company while I felt out the area. After a year with them, I found a company that I spent 4 years with delivering to McDonalds, untill I moved back to my home in Az. The company I'm with now runs us hard, but pays us fairly, this is my 2nd time with them. I was told when I quit the last time that anytime I wanted to come back....call em and they would take me back in a heartbeat. Why did I quit? try falling asleep at the wheel and feel yourself cruising across the desert. Thank GOD there was no one else on that 2 lane road at that time......I needed time away and took it. Never again will I push myself that hard.....Also, the truck in my pic is the same one I had the first time. When I came back, I asked for it and they moved the driver out, detailed and gave it back.

Finding the "right " company can be hard, but there is a place for every driver and a driver for every place. Finding yours isn't always that easy.