[Bigmon]

Originally Posted by Part Time Dweller

Many realize how much un- compensated time they give away every week. If you divide the hours worked every week ( actual hours, not logged hours) by the weekly pay many find it would be not much more than minimum wage.

I agree. Airline pilots are gone quite often, but their pay is a lot more than truckers and they stay in hotels. Pilots get lots of women too. :lol:

[GMAN]

It would not be difficult to design a psychological test to match a profile of the successful driver. If properly structured, it could be a good indicator of who would be successful and who would wash out, prior to anyone spending money. I think it could be a way to find the better drivers and perhaps get rid of some of the undesirables in the industry. A few dollars on a psychological pre-screen could save thousands, if not millions in driver turnover. By reducing turnover, carriers could pay drivers more. Constantly recruiting bodies is expensive. Psychological profiling is done in other industries, I don't see why it could not be done in trucking.

[Part Time Dweller]

Originally Posted by Bigmon

I agree. Airline pilots are gone quite often, but their pay is a lot more than truckers and they stay in hotels. Pilots get lots of women too. :lol:

The fact pilots are union have a lot to do with all that. Well, except maybe the women part. But then again, truckers have coin operated women available :P

[GMAN]

Many pilots are not making what they once were because of down sizing and mergers. There are a lot of similarities between pilots and truck drivers. I suppose the paycheck is still the major difference, but they also put in thousands of hours of flying time to even get the pilot's job. Their training is much more rigorous than truck driving. It doesn't take that much to get a pilot's license, but to get enough experience to pilot a 747 takes years. Commercial pilots often come from the military who train for years to hone their craft. Some start out as instructors in small single engine planes as they work their way into piloting a corporate plane until they get enough experience to pilot a commercial airliner. Some may never achieve their goal of becoming a commercial pilot. The pilot's union has been a double edged sword with pilots. They have made demands which have sometimes resulted in bankruptcy of their employers and layoffs. Most pilots must have at least a BS degree plus sufficient experience. There really isn't any educational requirements required of professional drivers other than driving school.

[Part Time Dweller]

The big difference in the two is pilots know there are severe consequences for breaking the rules and realize that is part of their job to abide by them. Truckers on the other hand, brag about breaking rules daily, and whine when they get caught.

[movinit]

Many people that come into the trucking industry have a bit of a skewed perception of what we do. I know friends and relatives of mine who swore I was getting paid to be a tourist... lazily driving across the country, stopping to see anything that stuck my fancy, reviling in the beauty of the country.

I agree with this statement. We actually had a buddy that said to us "What do you mean you have stress? What stress is there in going from point A to point B?" We educated him real quick on what is involved in trucking and I bet he doesn't make that assumption again.

[Frogman]

Originally Posted by GMAN

It would not be difficult to design a psychological test to match a profile of the successful driver. If properly structured, it could be a good indicator of who would be successful and who would wash out, prior to anyone spending money. I think it could be a way to find the better drivers and perhaps get rid of some of the undesirables in the industry. A few dollars on a psychological pre-screen could save thousands, if not millions in driver turnover. By reducing turnover, carriers could pay drivers more. Constantly recruiting bodies is expensive. Psychological profiling is done in other industries, I don't see why it could not be done in trucking.

No, you're right, it shouldn't. There are even some simple tests out there on-the-shelf that can tell a lot. Just as important too are indicators like age, marriage status, age of children, current debt to income ratio, etc.

I think the smaller companies probably do this to some degree. They don't have a formal screening process, but they meet you, check you out and see if you "fit."

There's actually some similarity (in my opinion) between the selection of commercial truck drivers and military special operators.

The SAS had a test that US Special Forces adapted when starting Delta Force. They put a rucksack on your back, give you a compass heading and tell you to go. And that's what you do. You go. How fast? As fast as you can. How long? Could be forever. Yeah, but, what about . . . .

Just shut up and go.

Seems easy but it breaks many tough guys.

There are a lot of variations. Here's one: Take this truck and drive it to Point A. At Point A, unload, go to Point B and reload. Drive to Point C . . .

Anyone who can hang in this job for a few years deserves a high degree of respect.

[LA to Cleveland]

Biggest reason for new driver washout? I'll give you a couple of reasons:

*No one, and I mean NO ONE in this industry has any regard at all for your time - your time is worth nothing whatsoever to the shippers, receivers, dispatchers, office clerks and all the other good folks that have some say in how & when you check in & get going. No one gives a damn if you just drove all night, or if your about to run out of hours, or if you only have a very marginal amount of time to make your next appointment, or if your sick or you're tired or just about anything else.

*All the time you are expected to work for free
The many agonizing hours you will wait at dock to be loaded or unloaded... oh yeah, you'll also be told " we don't wake the drivers " or "park over there & wait" "come back in & check in a couple of hours" dispatch screw ups - get there and there's no trailer, hey - not a problem, they are not paying you for the extra time you put in anyway...you'll likely be the only one that cares after your day was needlessly prolonged to about 20 hours.

[Part Time Dweller]

Give that man a cigar!

[tumbo1]

the the biggest thing in my opinion is new drivers are not used to life on the road when i first started i quit after 1 mth then came back later and after i gave it a chance i loved it i have now been on the road for 5 years