The problem is not an influx of new-comers into the expediting business; but rather the greed of the expediging company's themselves. Look, we all know what our bottom line is out here on the road; but the carriers that we work for also have their own bottom line. The bottom line being, profit and customer satisfaction.
I do fear that (at the expense of the owner operator) major cariers seem to hire on more B, D, and T/T units than they actually need. I suspect they have their reasons for this, primarily because large carriers need a lot of trucks to cover all of their loads. By having an excessive amount of trucks on the road, large carriers can ensure that all of their customers needs will be met. This sounds like simple logic to me!
Remember; drivers are (and have always been) easily replaced. I'm not implying that quantity is equal to quality; well, just look at swift drivers if you need an easy reference to support my logic that quantity does not mean quality. However, that being said, it seems like we're headed down the old "wal-mart" inspired business mentality that workers are interchangeable.
I know that some of you guys will tend to disagree with me on this issue, but you can't say i'm completely wrong! It is the carriers responsibility to monitor (as well as accurately plan ahead) for expanding freight lanes, and or stagnant customer growth. It's ultimately up to the carriers to ensure that they are not saturating the market with trucks! But, this type of logic does not correlate with their bottom line!
Moreover, large companies can afford to train an indefinite amount fresh "USDA/DOT stamped" meat how to use the qualcomm, and how to pick up and deliver freight etc., etc! This is a relatively profitable tactic for a large truckload carrier that is in the business of making huge profits at the expense of the independent contractor.
The amount of resources that are put into recruiting can be offset; even if a new expediter only works for a large company for six months! How many loads can a new owner operator cover for the company in that short amount of time? How long will a new owner operator hold out hope that things will get better before they go belly up?
Hrm, lets see! Owner operators use their own savings/collateral etc., to get the B-unit, D-unit, or T/T unit... right? The owner operator assumes all responsibility for the said vehicle; ie.; truck payments, insurance, maintenance, tolls, fuel taxes, and the list goes on!
So, what does a large company have to lose if the driver quits...moves over to another company...or simply goes belly up; ruins their credit...and just disappears off the face of the earth? Now, do you get the point?
Do you really want know who makes all of the money in the expedited business? For starters; the truck dealers, the trucking companies, the IRS, and alumni-bunk...just to mention a few.
My point is, companies do not lose when a driver quits. Large companies will squander an infinate amount of resources while trolling for "extremely gullible" drivers to come to work as independent contractors.
And, guess what? There are gazillions of gullible people out there who are willing to give the expediting business a shot. The proverbial driver-pool is like a neverending bottomless pit that transcends the boundaries of time and space.
Well, you get what i'm trying to say in this post. But that's not all! There are more prospective drivers springing up daily. This is due to plant closures, corporate downsizing, cancelled pension plans, and last but not least...this one is a big one; the baby boomers!
I do fear that (at the expense of the owner operator) major cariers seem to hire on more B, D, and T/T units than they actually need. I suspect they have their reasons for this, primarily because large carriers need a lot of trucks to cover all of their loads. By having an excessive amount of trucks on the road, large carriers can ensure that all of their customers needs will be met. This sounds like simple logic to me!
Remember; drivers are (and have always been) easily replaced. I'm not implying that quantity is equal to quality; well, just look at swift drivers if you need an easy reference to support my logic that quantity does not mean quality. However, that being said, it seems like we're headed down the old "wal-mart" inspired business mentality that workers are interchangeable.
I know that some of you guys will tend to disagree with me on this issue, but you can't say i'm completely wrong! It is the carriers responsibility to monitor (as well as accurately plan ahead) for expanding freight lanes, and or stagnant customer growth. It's ultimately up to the carriers to ensure that they are not saturating the market with trucks! But, this type of logic does not correlate with their bottom line!
Moreover, large companies can afford to train an indefinite amount fresh "USDA/DOT stamped" meat how to use the qualcomm, and how to pick up and deliver freight etc., etc! This is a relatively profitable tactic for a large truckload carrier that is in the business of making huge profits at the expense of the independent contractor.
The amount of resources that are put into recruiting can be offset; even if a new expediter only works for a large company for six months! How many loads can a new owner operator cover for the company in that short amount of time? How long will a new owner operator hold out hope that things will get better before they go belly up?
Hrm, lets see! Owner operators use their own savings/collateral etc., to get the B-unit, D-unit, or T/T unit... right? The owner operator assumes all responsibility for the said vehicle; ie.; truck payments, insurance, maintenance, tolls, fuel taxes, and the list goes on!
So, what does a large company have to lose if the driver quits...moves over to another company...or simply goes belly up; ruins their credit...and just disappears off the face of the earth? Now, do you get the point?
Do you really want know who makes all of the money in the expedited business? For starters; the truck dealers, the trucking companies, the IRS, and alumni-bunk...just to mention a few.
My point is, companies do not lose when a driver quits. Large companies will squander an infinate amount of resources while trolling for "extremely gullible" drivers to come to work as independent contractors.
And, guess what? There are gazillions of gullible people out there who are willing to give the expediting business a shot. The proverbial driver-pool is like a neverending bottomless pit that transcends the boundaries of time and space.
Well, you get what i'm trying to say in this post. But that's not all! There are more prospective drivers springing up daily. This is due to plant closures, corporate downsizing, cancelled pension plans, and last but not least...this one is a big one; the baby boomers!
