It doesn't make any difference what you do for a living. There is nothing wrong with honest work. You do what you must to earn a living for your family whether that is driving a truck or flipping hamburgers. Some people think that if they get a job working for McDonald's or other fast food store that they will be stuck in a minimum wage job. It can only be a start. There are many companies who prefer promoting from within. I have a former neighbor whom I have known for many years. During and after college he went to work for a restaurant. Over the years he worked in various positions with fast food stores. He is currently the COO (Chief Operating Officer) for a major fast food chain. Just because you start at the bottom doesn't necessarily mean that you need to stay there.

Yeah, there are some very good wages in the upper management at the fast food chains. I know that I've made jokes on here myself about them, but they do have good insurance, and benefits. If a body stayed with it, and worked their way up, they would make a good living in the upper management.

Double R, I wasn't downing the foodservice industry, but just making a statement that when drivers with spotty pasts come on here looking for help the "same ole same ole" is always thrown out there.

I agree that this industry is back breaking hard work and isn't for everyone, I've been there, done that and would still be there if the company hadn't closed and let us go.

I will disagree with you to a point on the "strick hiring practices" though. When these companies need drivers and go outside the company and use "staffing agencies" as they often do here in the Twin Cities, it becomes a different story.

Jackrabbit and JD, I agree that if the individual has no missing parts, they will get hired and trained, and if a person needs a job and is willing to do the work no matter how difficult or put family needs over personal happiness they can do this work.

From my personal experience, I worked along side drivers who had just received their CDL (no experience) OTR or otherwise. Drivers with experience only in driving passenger coach or school busses. Drivers who in my opinion that had 3 and 4 accidents within a 2 year period shouldn't have been there, and had additional accidents while on the job with me, including rolling a trailer and still being retained. Now I could go on with this, but I'm just pointing out my observations.

I will say that Double R could be 100% correct that these companies won't hire with DWI / DUI or felonies, but I can't be sure about the folks I worked with, they could have possibly gotten hired also. These companies using staffing agencies need bodies to fill the seats and hump the products to keep the customer base, and again from my observations they will do what they have to in order to keep those groceries moving down the ramps into the customers coolers, freezers and dry storerooms.

One last thing. Jackrabbit, those with injuries don't always lose out either unless its so severe they can't work any longer. They get rehab, phy. therapy, desk jobs, and then work as on call driver reliefs for those running out of hours, but physical labor to assist other drivers.

I agree.

One of our supervisors was injured on a route, when he was a driver. He helped in the office shortly after his injury, answering phones, etc. Then all of a sudden, he became a supervisor.


Our " trailer spotter" at the warehouse was a driver. He tore something up. I can't remember what it was, but all I know is that he got hurt on a route. Now, he's on the yard mule at the warehouse.

Thanks for the feedback guys. Again, If anyone hears anything. Just post it on the message board. I check this daily. Thank you.