[kc0iv]

Originally Posted by Bigmon

After being at the TA in Ontario I came to the conclusion part of it is appearance of the drivers. If somebody is a slob chances are he's not gonna offered top dollar.

I know a guy that's on the Forbes 400 list and he used to ask people that showed up to work looking like a slobs "where can a guy that looks like you get a job making $300k a year?" He then would show the guy that over 100 people in his company were making $300k or better and none of them looked like slobs.

Then on the other side of the fence you have the Microsoff bunch. Many of them are multi-millionaires and come dressed in cutoff shorts and tank tops. Some of them look like real beach bums. A interesting read is the story of when Bill Gates and his crew first talked to IBM to develope IBM's DOS system. The IBM pin strips didn't know what to think.

That being said many drivers could sure dress a little better. I'm seeing more and more companies going to uniforms to try to improve the company image.

In regards to the $300k. For that kind of money I would come out of retirement.

kc0iv

[scania]

What's the average pay of a dispatcher???

[Bigmon]

It wasn't a trucking company. It was a stock brokerage firm. He sold it to Citibank for $400 million and they got rid of the 300k people and replaced them with 50k people. The buy out is what got him on the Forbes list.

[Sheepdancer]

There are plenty of drivers who make 75 grand a year or more. If you want to make that too, you simply need to be as good as those drivers. In almost any industry, people limit their own pay. In any job there are always ways to go above and beyond whats required to increase your paycheck.
Just one example...most trucking companies will pay commissions for drivers to recruit other drivers. Ive seen 500, 1000 or even 1500 dollar commissions paid to drivers for refering other drivers. Think about that. Refer 1 driver a week for 52 weeks at 1000 bucks a pop plus the 50 grand a year you are making for driving and POOF...you are a 6 figure driver. And honestly, 1 driver a week would be very very easy for another driver to find and get hired.
Personally, if I were a driver. I would spend the 400 bucks or so a month to get on one of those driver recruitment websites. Which emails you 100s of applications a week and then just get on the cell phone when you are driving around. Plus talking to drivers while out on the road. A driver who did that and who has just a bare minimum amount of sales skills could very easiely hire 3 or 4 drivers a week.

[kc0iv]

Originally Posted by Sheepdancer

There are plenty of drivers who make 75 grand a year or more. If you want to make that too, you simply need to be as good as those drivers. In almost any industry, people limit their own pay. In any job there are always ways to go above and beyond whats required to increase your paycheck.
Just one example...most trucking companies will pay commissions for drivers to recruit other drivers. Ive seen 500, 1000 or even 1500 dollar commissions paid to drivers for refering other drivers. Think about that. Refer 1 driver a week for 52 weeks at 1000 bucks a pop plus the 50 grand a year you are making for driving and POOF...you are a 6 figure driver. And honestly, 1 driver a week would be very very easy for another driver to find and get hired.
Personally, if I were a driver. I would spend the 400 bucks or so a month to get on one of those driver recruitment websites. Which emails you 100s of applications a week and then just get on the cell phone when you are driving around. Plus talking to drivers while out on the road. A driver who did that and who has just a bare minimum amount of sales skills could very easiely hire 3 or 4 drivers a week.

What do you think the success rate is Sheepdancer. Maybe like 1 in 100 or less gets all the way through signing and stays for 90 days? I doubt the success rate is anywhere that good.

I'd be interest in seeing what success rate you are having. I'm asking not to try to put you down in any way. If the numbers are anywhere close I might think real hard at setting up such a operation myself. I'm retired and could handle a extra couple hundred grand a year income.

kc0iv

[clawHAMMER]

My 2 cents...

Is there a shortage of drivers? Oh yeah! But like a couple of you previous posters mentioned in this thread, the working conditions don't match up to the pay for the responsibilities that are expected. I've been away from trucking for almost 10 years now. Prior to that I drove OTR for almost 10 years starting back in '85. The wages haven't gone up much, if at all, but the rules, regulations, log book bs, poor hometime, poor treatment by the public and shippers/receivers have not improved or even gotten worse in the past 10 years.
It really is sad that a professional driver with all he/she has to contend with on a daily basis in their occupation doesn't make at least $60k per year - minimum. Comparing apples to apples and comparable responsibilities, what does a professional pilot make per year? $30k? $45k? I don't think so. Try $75k+. How 'bout a train engineer? I don't know but bet it's more than $40k. I was making $40k driving a truck back in 1986 for crying out loud. C'mon.

The past couple of years the trucking companies have been making a killing in profits. Read TransportTopics.com . Trucking companies stocks have risin significantly and they've been making a bundle. How is that? Fuel-surcharges. Big bucks for big fleets. Are the company drivers getting any of that pie? Ain't happenin. The principles and shareholders are riding that wave for as long as they can and lining their pockets. Face the facts.

Now I've been off the road for close to 10 years. Alot has changed excpet for the wages. I had my own successful marketing business for the last 6 of those 10 years. I let my CDL expire thinking I'm done with the trucking gig and won't be jumping back into any truck. Well never say never. In the past couple years the economy bottomed out & my wholesalers went out of business and all of a sudden I was scrambling to put food on the table and pay the bills. With no jobs in the marketplace, what to do? Jump back into a truck for awhile to get caught back up. Boy how I hated the thought of that.

So I have no CDL. I let it expire along with all my endorsements. I pass the written test and get my permit. Now I have to schedule a road test. $275 for the pre-trip, yard manuvers and road test. Are you kidding me? So I pay and schedule a time. I study the booklet. I'm feeling confident when I go to take the test. The state inspector is a dweeb but I laugh at his lame and simple attempts at humor to get on his good side. He flunks me on the pre-trip. I've done probably thousands of them over the years when I was driving but now I can't do one? He says I have to do it their way, not my way. Granted some of the mechanical terminology escaped me during the pre-trip but it was second nature. Or so I thought. $275 DOWN THE TUBES.

I reschedule a second attempt at getting my CDL back 2 weeks later for anotehr $275. I study, I ask lots of questions on forums to prepare. Different instructor this time. Much nicer guy. I do the pre-trip exactly as they want it done to the best of my ability. I pass that part. We go out into the yard and he has me doing manuevers with the tractor-trailer and is grading me. Backing up. Check. Pulling forward. Check. Right turn. Check. Angle parking. Flunked me on a technicality. I couldn't freakin believe it. He said he couldn't explain it to me in detail unless I was a student. I was a "walk-on" and therefore not privy to the apparent secret that the students are. Another $275 DOWN THE TUBES and still no CDL.

What a bunch of bs. I've driven over a million miles accident-free for 10 years and now I can't even get out of the parking lot? I think the system is set up to get the walk-on drivers who want to re-new their CDL to flunk so they have to re-pay again and again or sign up for their school for $3500. I swear I'm beginning to think it's some kind of racquet. If there was that much of a demand for drivers out there, the school instructors wouldn't make it so damn easy to flunk the test. The only ones who win are the schools. The driver doesn't get his CDL and pisses away $275 and leaves with a bitter taste and wants to get any other job than what trucking doesn't offer, the companies don't get a body in their seat so their truck still sits empty.

So far I've spent $745.50 trying to get back my CDL after a 10 yr hiatus and I'm about to just say the hell with it and move on. If they don't want what I have to offer (professionalism, punctuality, clean cut, not a slob, customer oriented....) then I don't need them either. My prior credentials no longer carry any weight after 10 years away and I don't understand that but I'll deal with it. Concert tours, theatrical productions, perishables, JIT, haz-mat, tour bus doesn't really matter anymore I guess. Been in practically every major city in the US and I can't even get out of a parking lot now. Go figure.

Sorry 'bout getting long-winded but it hit a nerve and my fingers wanted to tap dance on the keyboard.

[USXRecruiter4080]

Originally Posted by scania

What's the average pay of a dispatcher???

About $33,000

[kc0iv]

Originally Posted by clawHAMMER

So I have no CDL. I let it expire along with all my endorsements. I pass the written test and get my permit. Now I have to schedule a road test. $275 for the pre-trip, yard manuvers and road test. Are you kidding me? So I pay and schedule a time. I study the booklet. I'm feeling confident when I go to take the test. The state inspector is a dweeb but I laugh at his lame and simple attempts at humor to get on his good side. He flunks me on the pre-trip. I've done probably thousands of them over the years when I was driving but now I can't do one? He says I have to do it their way, not my way. Granted some of the mechanical terminology escaped me during the pre-trip but it was second nature. Or so I thought. $275 DOWN THE TUBES.

I reschedule a second attempt at getting my CDL back 2 weeks later for anotehr $275. I study, I ask lots of questions on forums to prepare. Different instructor this time. Much nicer guy. I do the pre-trip exactly as they want it done to the best of my ability. I pass that part. We go out into the yard and he has me doing manuevers with the tractor-trailer and is grading me. Backing up. Check. Pulling forward. Check. Right turn. Check. Angle parking. Flunked me on a technicality. I couldn't freakin believe it. He said he couldn't explain it to me in detail unless I was a student. I was a "walk-on" and therefore not privy to the apparent secret that the students are. Another $275 DOWN THE TUBES and still no CDL.

I don't know about your state but in both KS and MO you can take your driving test through the state. Not a private school. Biggest problem is getting a truck. In my case I hired a school to supply the truck but I went the the state for testing. Cost me $250.

kc0iv

[emerlin]

Guess I'll throw my two cents in here. I believe that there is a shortage, but I think it's more due to the way the business is set up. You have to:

be willing to spend most of your time away from home.

be willing to work 12-14 hours (if not more) per day.

comply with every law to the letter and be able to prove it.

work in all weather conditions.

be the responsible guy. Every thing is your responsibility.

and much more, all for a magrinal starting wage.

The trucking industry as a whole needs to change significantly if it wants to attract more people. These mega-companies are the best equipped to make the necessary changes, but they are (by all accounts on this board) the worst offenders. This industry needs more than a uniform and a bath. But I'll pay my dues and hope for better.

[emerlin]

Originally Posted by clawHAMMER

So far I've spent $745.50 trying to get back my CDL after a 10 yr hiatus and I'm about to just say the hell with it and move on. If they don't want what I have to offer (professionalism, punctuality, clean cut, not a slob, customer oriented....) then I don't need them either. My prior credentials no longer carry any weight after 10 years away and I don't understand that but I'll deal with it. Concert tours, theatrical productions, perishables, JIT, haz-mat, tour bus doesn't really matter anymore I guess. Been in practically every major city in the US and I can't even get out of a parking lot now. Go figure.

Sorry 'bout getting long-winded but it hit a nerve and my fingers wanted to tap dance on the keyboard.

Those private testers are under the jurisdiction of the state. If you feel that they unfairly failed you, report 'em. That, "you flunked, but I really can't explain why" crap wouldn't fly with me...