when I ‘retire’ I am going to do this
i think long-haul trucking would let me see the country AND listen to conservative radio all day long my two favorite things
If only Rush was available on Satellite
Truckers also get abused by their employers who demand that they obey speed limits while giving them delivery deadlines that require both speeding and skipping breaks and required sleep breaks. Thus there’s a huge turnover in the industry because not even immigrants are willing to work under such abusive conditions.
Great that those industries are hiring...but with trucking...they scared off so many with the NAFTA mandated, Bush supported, Obama approved Mexican Truckers Program...allowing Mexican trucks to go all over the US (instead of a 75 mi radius from the border).
This has been big talk among truckers for years...and it has scared many into leaving the industry
Dump the Mexican Trcuks rule, and trucking industry will hire again
They need to “higher” a proofreader!
What isn’t mentioned is that it’s a young man’s game.
The percentage of men over 45, who can “safely” drive with minimal sleep, WITHOUT DRUGS, is low!
Don’t forget about all the Obama trucking regulations and an economy in the depths of a depression and the fluctuating fuel prices.
My guy drives his ‘18 wheels of justice’ and loves the job but hates the endless new rules and regulations.
The comment regarding the laws of how long one can drive vs the delivery time demands of the company, is 100% accurate and sheer insanity.
Good. Let the free market determine the salaries for truck drivers. It is often grueling and lifestyle-limiting work.
$50,000 isn’t enough for many of these youngins...like the Occupy guy Sean Hannity interviewed sometime back. He wouldn’t take a job for less than $100,000.
No new driver is going to make anywhere near $50k / year. You would have to run the wheels right off of the truck in order to make that much while being paid a per mile rate, with no compensation for wait time at loading and unloading (which, at times, costs you half of your available work hours). The cost of living on the road is not low, nor do most drivers understand how to manage their money effectively to insure that they don't p&ss away their earnings.
Artificially low freight rates prevent fleet owners from paying what the profession truly warrants. Combined with, literally, millions of pages of regulations, it is neither an easy way nor an assured way to earn much of a living anymore. This is a shame, I love the industry and the challenges it brings.
Well, I have truckers in my family and as a career, it’s not for everybody-—very dangerous (particularly going up and down the Rockies) and frustrating dealing with all the rules, regulations, and LEOs on the highways.
There is also a shortage of farmers, truck mechanics, welders, plumbers, electricians.
I know companies all hiring for above - they can’t keep people. If you can pass a drug test, show up to work on time, use common sense and work hard, you will be employed.
When the pay and working conditions equal the work and time required they will have plenty of drivers. The Free Market proves this every day.
I’d do it but I get headaches and blurred vision at times which is not a good thing if you have to drive a lot.
Trucking is a great job in some ways and an awful job in some ways. If you can handle the sedentary nature, the isolation and the constant tension of knowing at any moment some idiot my jump their vehicle in front of yours leaving you no room to break or avoid collision, trucking may be for you.
If I could back a trailer worth a darn...
I guess that’s why the trucking school here closed.
If these are so hard to fill then there is a reason. The low pay and difficult working conditions are just two of the most obvious ones.
I interview people with regards to their jobs and I am telling you, I see more laid off truckers than I have ever seen before.
I doubt this article.
If anything, there is so much regulation that there are less OWNER OPERATORS.