Latest CCJ Article on Drivers

AccountsReceivable@DRC

AccountsReceivable@DRC

Moderator
Staff member
30
This was a good read - thanks for posting Michael. And I agree with you - CCJ has been contributing a lot of relevant topics in the industry as of late - American based - but nonetheless. Their content is easy to read, comprehend and sticks to the point.

The driver situation and the changing pool of drivers will be covered at the Delta Nu Alpha's October dinner seminar. It will be a very interesting evening - again with a moderator and panelists (Kriska's Mark Seymour/HR Trucking President Angela Splinter and Manan Gupta who is very involved in Brampton's transportation scene (President of Brampton Road Safety and a number of other organizations).
 
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ralphthetrucker

Active Member
10
The shelves are still stocked, the gas stations still have fuel to sell, factories are still running. The driver shortage is a myth. If in fact there was a shortage the value/remuneration of a driver would have skyrocketed like any other commodity does when a shortage is perceived. Until then it's just a myth.
 
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Shakey

Shakey

Site Supporter
30
was same with everyone at IANA, can get boxes in Midwest but can't get anyone to load them and bring to ramps so things are starting to sit
 
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WALTERK

Active Member
10
I could not agree more with ralhpthetrucker. Started in 1992, have seen it all - most of it played to the self destructive tune of "how low can you go" more often than not. If the situation was that critical, wouldn't you see a strong drive from young people to enter this promising profession? Right. The answer could not be any more explicit - just take a look at who is driving these big rigs when you are in GTA next time . It took years to get to this point, and it will take years to change it - if ever. I just might not live long enough to see it. That would make it a myth wouldn't it?
 
Michael Ludwig

Michael Ludwig

Well-Known Member
20
WOW ... I really am older than I thought. I've been at this since 1980 !!!
Young people don't want this job for two very simple reasons ... time and money.
I do this work because I don't know any better. Today's youth can get jobs in car factories, steel mills, OPG, and get paid $35.00 an hour (or more), plus benefits, plus a work schedule that gives them more time off in a month than they work. Why in heaven's name would they want to drive a truck where they leave Sunday night, get home Saturday morning and make little more than minimum wage for the time they have spent away from home. Add to that the cost of living on the road, being treated like crap from shippers and receivers, being a cash cow for broke municipal, county, state and provincial governments, always being suspected of wrong doing by MTO, USDOT, State troopers, county cops, OPP, QPP, CBP, CBSA, and on and on, and it's an even more unattractive job.
Other than the fact that I need drivers, I really wouldn't encourage anyone to do it.
Actually, if you think about it, driving truck should be the number one job on Mike Rowe's "Dirty Jobs".
 
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hunter

Member
2
I disagree a little Micheal, now-a-days there are not many full time jobs out there as everytime you turnaround and look for new work it is contract, through a agency, temp or part time. By doing this there is no benefits for contract, part time or temp work only a wage (usually min or not much more). Through an agency there is pretty much nothing the an employer would have to pay except a flat hourly rate to the agency that they use. There are truck driving jobs out there and most companies hire full time employees and have all the other stuff as well. The problem is wages and you are right who wants to be gone from home for an extended period of time for min wages. We as a whole should be trying to find a way to pay the drivers what they are worth then and only then will this industry turm around. I too started in the 80's and drivers and profit margines were a heck of a lot better 30 years ago then now.
 
Michael Ludwig

Michael Ludwig

Well-Known Member
20
You have a profit margin now ???!!! ... LOL

Here, in my neck of the woods, U.S. Steel has an ad in the paper every day. Has rented billboards because they can't get enough labor. Starting wage is $27.00 an hour and after 30 days you're in the union. Yes, I'm well aware that USS has filed for protection ... honestly that has nothing to do with a lack of money. By the same token the Cami plant is hiring every day. Autoworker pay. If you're willing to relocate, OPG hires every day. Those are just a few options the young people have these days. Add to that the opportunities in western and northern Canada. $100,000.00+ a year jobs become pretty attractive to today's youth.

You're right Hunter that every dog has his day, and driver wages will increase to be competitive, but it will take some time. The industry has to crash first. Shippers have to fill every available owned and rented storage space before they come to the realization that if they want their goods to move, they need to pay for someone to do it. Eventually cheap-ass rates aren't going to get it done. Drivers will need to be treated like royalty, and so they should be.

As a business owner, like many of you, I'm between a rock and a hard place. My customer base won't pay me what my drivers deserve, and my drivers won't work for less than what they are worth. So here I sit with trucks against the fence, turning down freight every day. Personally, I am running out of solutions.
 
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lowmiler88

lowmiler88

Site Supporter
30
The problem is not going to be raising driver wages it is going to be how high do we have to go and I think it's going to be a lot sooner than any of us think. We have been tossing around being one of the first to jump up the wages significantly but the hurdle we see is that there is absolutely no guarantee that we would attract the extra drivers we need to make it work and then all's you have done is given your current drivers a huge raise and the company takes it in the teeth. But be ready because you don't want to be left behind and loose 20% of your drivers because everyone else has gotten the jump on you.......it really is an extremely stupid business to be in.
 
Rob

Rob

Site Supporter
30
We gave ours a raise last year to .45 cpm plus a safety bonus of 1 cpm quarterly and were hoping that would attract new ones it has yet to work. What about hourly and how much is the question my guys are already doing 75-80k a year.
 
Michael Ludwig

Michael Ludwig

Well-Known Member
20
Rob ... how much do we have to go ... $80,000.00+ a year, 5 days per week worth of work, at least 2 nights home, and Saturdays & Sundays off.
 
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