Three years exp.
No major/serious CDL violations in the past five years.
OUI-ten years.
Ridiculous. And yes, insurance companies DO have the last say on who you hire. Try hiring someone who doesn't meet the criteria.
Posted on 11/15/2012 5:00:49 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Experts are warning of a coming crisis: a shortage of truck drivers.
The Associated Press reports demand is so high that more than 100,000 trucking jobs are expected to go unfilled each year through 2016.
Mohammed Khan, the Director of the Great American Truck Driving School in Detroit told WWJ’s Sandra McNeil he’s seen a 50-percent jump in enrollment at his school since 2010.
“People do want to become truck drivers. The fact is that the demand just ups the supply right now,” said Khan. ”There are a lot of truck driving jobs that are wanting because they just can’t find enough people. And our school has gotten very busy over the past two years.”
Khan said recruiters are looking for someone with a brain.
“They want somebody who can think. It’s not just a dumb job anymore. There are a lot of computers and a lot of statistics to know … which path to take. They want thinkers,” Khan said.
Khan’s school’s four-week course draws the interest of people from all walks of life. He’s recently seen some former Detroit police offices go through the program. About one of five of his students are women.
Khan said mature folks looking for a new career are always welcome but everyone must be able to pass a federally required physical...
(Excerpt) Read more at truckersamerica.com ...
There is no insurance company I’m aware of that requires 3 to 5 years of driving experience. And I’ve seen most of the industry’s underwriting guidelines for drivers.
There are quite a few trucking companies that have more stringent requirements for new-hires that their insurance companies. Those that haul hazmat or high-value cargo,for example.
For those that would criticize the insurance industry, remember we are the ones who pay the claims on the accidents that the drivers are involved in. If you look at the property/casualty industry loss ratio for the past 10 years you’ll see that the overall combined loss ratio is well above 100. And the operating ratio for the past 5 years also is above 100.
Having read the other two replies to your comment, it sounds like you are the one who hasn’t gone out of his way to find opportunities. Sorry you’ve had a rough time, but maybe it’s your attitude? Just a thought.
Try going to a nearby truck stop and picking up some of the driver recruiting magazines. They all have dozens of ads for companies who are hiring, either experienced or student drivers. Also, check to see if their are any local truck driving schools in your area. The education you get from the school is usually better than going to a trucking company’s school.
The real reason there is a driver shortage is that a lot of people try it, find out they don’t like it and quit after a few months. It’s a tough job and a difficult lifestyle to adjust to but can be pretty rewarding for those that stick with it. After the first year or 2 it gets easier.
Thanks for the information. I’m single with no dependents, so family life really isn’t dragging on me as I know this job causes great strain with alot of married families.
One thing I know I want to steer clear of is leases. Some trucking companiess apparently try to pressure recruits to get tied up in a lease, which is functionally forcing someone to run there own business, and I suspect alot of these folks have no clue. I would think the failure rate for this process would be so great, companies would abandon the practise.
Nevertheless, if I become a driver, I want to be a company driver only.
OK — thanks for correcting that.
Here’s an example of how one large fleet runs their program:
http://joincrst.com/students.php
Good luck!
OK, one last post in case anyone who cares might stumble upon this thread.
Due to the chronic driver shortage and also the related aging demographics of the drivers already in the trucking industry the insurance company underwriting guidelines have eased in recent years. ( I might also add, as I posted earlier, that the industry’s loss ratios have been worsening as this has been happening).
If a trucking company still is struggling with their insurer’s rules/guidelines on driver hiring, they should consider getting an agent who will market their company to other insurers. An insurance policy is usually a 1 year contract between the trucking company and the insurance company, and trucking companies have the option to cancel mid-term if they choose.
There is no insurance company who will tell a trucking company who they can hire and who they cannot hire. If they did this they would be subjecting themselves to certain liabilities they do not want. The insurance company’s options, if a customer is hiring drivers outside the guidelines, are to increase rates, to exclude the driver from coverage (if the policy or state law allows them to do so), or to choose to non-renew the policy at the end of the term.
Hey you are guessing way too much... I am retired and will be conducting a type of working retirement in Thailand teaching English as a Foreign Language and operating a small business.. Not a lot of bucks - but I can live well in Thailand.
Also - beyond the trucking industry, I find American Business and Industry to be just blowing smoke about not finding qualified employees - mainly as an excuse to import foreigners - H-1B programs, etc. On Fox Business News I hear carping of this nature all the time ... And NOT ONCE have I seen a feature about a corporation having a training program hiring Americans to fill jobs in the Engineering and Computer Tech Fields or another significan job field. The reply post about the trucking company that did just this is admirable... BUT it is the extreme exception. In reviewing job ads on Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com I have seen NO ADS offering company paid training aside from introductory job orientation. It is a total LIE that American Corporations cannot find qualified and savvy people that have the potential to be trained to hold a job in a very high level. American corporations however are willing to hire foreigners under various immigration programs - Because they can pay them 60% of the competiting wage that Americans want and deserve. Soon - next year I suspect there will be a wholesale import of Mexicans and Central Americans to take trucking jobs - at lower wages.
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