[GMAN]

I was talking to a driver a few days ago and the subject of drivers switching jobs came up. Drivers seem to change jobs for a penny a mile or some other small benefit. Most don't realize that they will lose at least 2-3 weeks wages when they make a change. If you drive 100,000 miles and make an additional penny per mile, that is $1,000 per year in additional wages. However, if you make $800/wk and lose 3 weeks wages you have actually made about $1,400 less for the year. :shock:

I think another reason some drivers leave carriers is due to personality conflicts with their dispatchers or driver managers. They get mad and quit without having thought their decision out. Most problems can be solved by talking it out. If you have a problem with a dispatcher and you can't seem to work things out, go to his supervisor and ask for another dispatcher. Just keep going up the ladder until you find a solution. Sometimes it is the person in the mirror who has the problem. We all have bad days. It is how we handle those bad days that makes the difference.

It is in the companies best interest to retain good drivers. Moving around is bad for the driver and company. It is expensive to constantly recruit new drivers. There are some carrier's who seem to not care about their people, but I think a good attitude can make a world of difference.

The grass is usually not greener at the next company. Constantly moving around can have a heavy cost in lost income for both the company and driver. :?

[Jumbo]

You have a good point GMAN. However, I want to add this. How many times has it been posted that the recruiters don't always tell the truth about the companies that they represent? Yes, it does cost alot to recruit new drivers but IMO if they spent more money on retention of who they have i.e. paying practical or even god forbid hub miles, sending drivers home when they promised they would, paying detention time every time, and getting on shippers and receivers to load and unload the things the driver is only supposed to get there on time and in one piece. I will give you an example. I have a friend who left a job because he wanted to get off the longhaul trips. So he took a job running regional which he liked very much which payed $.43 a mile practical and $20 a stop tarp. The company he had been working for decided they wanted to retain the good drivers they had so they went back through the list of drivers who had left, which my friend was on, and made them a proposal. I know this as a fact because I saw what the offer sheet that they faxed to him, using my fax machine, to recieve, sign and send back. Their offer was: he could have his pick of any of the new Peterbilt tractors on their lot to have as his own. He had his choice of the new conestoga trailers which would only be pulled by him. When he went home for home time his tractor wouldn't be driven by anyone else unless in emergency. For his coming back he would be compensated at a rate of $.51 per hub mile and each stop would pay $65.00. He would also retain the senority and vacation time he had accumulated when he left. Needless to say he signed the offer, gave his two weeks notice and went back. That was 6 months ago. I had called him after he had been back on the job 4 weeks and he told me that everything was what they said it was and out of the 12 drivers they sent this offer to 11 came back. The twelveth had already taken a LTL job and liked being home every night. It just goes to show that even though not every company could do this that some won't try and just rely on the revolving door of new drivers who think the grass is greener.

[Rev.Vassago]

Originally Posted by GMAN

Most don't realize that they will lose at least 2-3 weeks wages when they make a change.

I have heard this claim before, and have yet to hear any sort of logical explanation on how this is possible. Most experienced drivers already have another job lined up if they are leaving a company, and in many cases, the transition is seamless (you are driving for one company one day, and the next day you are driving for another).

I have been driving for 11 years, and have pulled for 5 carriers in that time. The most time a job transition took me was a week and a half, and that was when I bought my truck, and that was by CHOICE. I could have done it in a day or two easily if I chose to.

Can you explain this 2-3 week claim?

[dollarshort]

Exactly my thought! If it takes someone 2-3 weeks to adjust maybe they aren't cut out for the trucking business. I personally never missed more than 2 days pay whenever switching, and I usually make up for that by asking to work a couple extra days within the first 2 weeks. I have changed jobs more than my share in the past and my wages have never taken a hit. If it does then you made the wrong decision. Making a change usually means you just drive a different color truck....The job is still the same. :wink:

[GMAN]

I will be glad to explain it to you, Rev. If you go from one job to another you will need to go through their orientation. That seems to take about 4 days with most companies, these days. If you start orientation on Monday you may get a load out on Thursday. Even if it is a short run and you get it delivered the next day, your paperwork will likely not be in payroll until the next week. If you assume that they pay on Fridays, that means your first paycheck will be on Friday of the second week. If you only have a short run, your paycheck will likely be smaller than you are accustomed. If your paperwork doesn't get to payroll by the cut off time, then it could be the following week before you receive your first paycheck. At that point you will be looking at 3 weeks. If you don't have a job to go to before quiting your current job, it could be longer before that first check arrives.

[wot i life]

Originally Posted by GMAN

I will be glad to explain it to you, Rev. If you go from one job to another you will need to go through their orientation. That seems to take about 4 days with most companies, these days. If you start orientation on Monday you may get a load out on Thursday. Even if it is a short run and you get it delivered the next day, your paperwork will likely not be in payroll until the next week. If you assume that they pay on Fridays, that means your first paycheck will be on Friday of the second week. If you only have a short run, your paycheck will likely be smaller than you are accustomed. If your paperwork doesn't get to payroll by the cut off time, then it could be the following week before you receive your first paycheck. At that point you will be looking at 3 weeks. If you don't have a job to go to before quiting your current job, it could be longer before that first check arrives.

Thank God we all get paid hourly over here. :wink:

[GMAN]

Originally Posted by Jumbo

You have a good point GMAN. However, I want to add this. How many times has it been posted that the recruiters don't always tell the truth about the companies that they represent? Yes, it does cost alot to recruit new drivers but IMO if they spent more money on retention of who they have i.e. paying practical or even god forbid hub miles, sending drivers home when they promised they would, paying detention time every time, and getting on shippers and receivers to load and unload the things the driver is only supposed to get there on time and in one piece. I will give you an example. I have a friend who left a job because he wanted to get off the longhaul trips. So he took a job running regional which he liked very much which payed $.43 a mile practical and $20 a stop tarp. The company he had been working for decided they wanted to retain the good drivers they had so they went back through the list of drivers who had left, which my friend was on, and made them a proposal. I know this as a fact because I saw what the offer sheet that they faxed to him, using my fax machine, to recieve, sign and send back. Their offer was: he could have his pick of any of the new Peterbilt tractors on their lot to have as his own. He had his choice of the new conestoga trailers which would only be pulled by him. When he went home for home time his tractor wouldn't be driven by anyone else unless in emergency. For his coming back he would be compensated at a rate of $.51 per hub mile and each stop would pay $65.00. He would also retain the senority and vacation time he had accumulated when he left. Needless to say he signed the offer, gave his two weeks notice and went back. That was 6 months ago. I had called him after he had been back on the job 4 weeks and he told me that everything was what they said it was and out of the 12 drivers they sent this offer to 11 came back. The twelveth had already taken a LTL job and liked being home every night. It just goes to show that even though not every company could do this that some won't try and just rely on the revolving door of new drivers who think the grass is greener.

Jumbo, I agree that some recruiters don't always tell the truth to prospective drivers or will omit key information that will aid in their decision to change jobs. I also see some drivers who will lie to companies about their background or character. It would be so much better if everyone was 100% truthful.

[wot i life]

Originally Posted by GMAN

It would be so much better if everyone was 100% truthful.

I,m bloody sure I,ll be economical with the truth when I get my licence back.
One foot in the door, prove I,m good at my job and then, who cares after that? :wink:

[BigDaddyD]

I just completed orientation with my first company this Friday. One of the guys in orientation had been with the company before and was coming back. A clear cut case of the grass is greener.

He left to work for a local company, he said he worked harder, even with getting more CPM he ended up with less pay. He was home just about everynight but the quality of home time wasn't great since he got home late and was up early not leaving much time for family.

He came back is going into the "Heavy Haul" division and should be home on weekends and occasionally during the week.

[Rev.Vassago]

Originally Posted by GMAN

I will be glad to explain it to you, Rev. If you go from one job to another you will need to go through their orientation. That seems to take about 4 days with most companies, these days.

Not all carriers have orientation. Most of the carriers that I've worked for that actually had one, took 2 days at most.

If you start orientation on Monday you may get a load out on Thursday. Even if it is a short run and you get it delivered the next day, your paperwork will likely not be in payroll until the next week. If you assume that they pay on Fridays, that means your first paycheck will be on Friday of the second week. If you only have a short run, your paycheck will likely be smaller than you are accustomed. If your paperwork doesn't get to payroll by the cut off time, then it could be the following week before you receive your first paycheck. At that point you will be looking at 3 weeks. If you don't have a job to go to before quiting your current job, it could be longer before that first check arrives.

Okay, but you aren't "losing" 2-3 weeks of pay - you are still getting paid for those 2-3 weeks. And the thing you fail to take into account is that you will still be getting a paycheck from your prior job AFTER you have already left, for the work that you did prior to leaving.

I think that "2-3 weeks lost pay" thing is just a scare tactic dreamt up by the carriers that have high turnover, to try and keep their drivers from leaving.