find a driver has never been so hard

nightcreacher · Jan 17, 2011

This probably is the wrong spot for this,but if you decide to get rid of your co-driver,have second thoughts,or if he is about to quit,do all you can do to stop him from leaving.
For three weeks now,I've been trying to get a co-driver.I have ads every where,even talked with local truck driving schools.I've had plenty of phone calls,but out of a half dozed or so,non could qualify.Everything from too many accidents,tickets,failed drug test,cant prove they ever drove a truck.Application and DAC report say to different things.MY last driver decided he wanted to run local,tired of being gone I guess.He was with me for 4 years.He will never make running local what he made with me.I can't blame him for the move,after all, he has a family.

moose · Jan 17, 2011

I see exactly the same thing in the long haul OTR.
my OTR carrier have a few selected small fleets .
they never had problem finding good qualified truckers to warm the seats.
now all they can find is drivers that cannot qualify for the strict carrier needs.
and do not even try offering a sign on bonus ...
i was talking about this the other day ,and was wondering if in the long run it's will lead to rates increase.
as you ,am still puzzled about this...

Tennesseahawk · Jan 17, 2011

It's strange that in a time where unemployment has hit one out of ten, people are having a hard time putting drivers in their seats. I guess either some jobs are still taboo, or the extension of unemployment insurance IS the new job of the decade.

Vinnie T · Jan 17, 2011

Tri State can help find a driver for you???

I find that hard to believe

Jefferson3000 · Jan 17, 2011

Night,

I just hired a new one. It took awhile as well. I had one guy who told me that he and his friend would run team for me, and that if we required hazmat, he could go get the endorsement tomorrow. (We don't do HZ, so it didn't matter.) Once we spoke on the phone, it came out that he didn't even have a CDL at all, but would go out and get it if he had a commitment from me. Wha? It also turned out that his co-driver lived 200 miles from him.

It is possible, but I went through about 30-40 apps to find the guy I now have running my truck. I ended up finding mine from a local ad on Craigslist. 80% of the responders from that ad immediately replied with resumes and references, where most of my "expedite leads" came with nothing but talk. Sad but true.

I agree with letting your carrier help you locate and start the vetting process for you. Possible?

ConfusedMuse · Jan 17, 2011

It's not that their not out there... they are but it takes a different sort to run OTR. Not necessarily no family, I can't explain it but we all know what I mean. It's all the new rules and regulatiions, the new rules/regulations are either going to do us all an immense favour and make business see us as the integral part we are in keeping America running, and pay us accordingly, OR it's going to drive this country to it's knees. I prefer to think the first scenario rather than the second one. But, when State troopers use a picture of Saddam as their guide to what a tired driver looks like, or the fact that they have a TV in the sleeper area, sit at the weigh station asking for your fuel savings card to see if you really did fuel, or are you lying, talk abut micro managing and by Big Brother himself.
It takes time, and money and considerable effort to have what we have all taken for granted. Alot of people see our profession as a free wheeling way to see the North America,
not many people see the other side of the coin, we all talk about it, but as is evident by the number of new posters not many listen.
I would think that going through your company would be a good place to start, because some companies are easier than others, and you would think that they would have a ready list of drivers,.......
wishing you luck in finding someone who fits the groove that your in, and that they be productive for you.

jjoerger · Jan 17, 2011

I think we are already starting to see the promised driver shortage.
A lot of people are trying to get out of this business and a lot do not want to get into this line of work.
All of the new regulations, CSA 2010 and proposed changes to Hours of Service regulations are chasing good people out and only leaving those that are barely employable looking for jobs.
Eventually pay and rates will go up to attract more qualified drivers.
Those drivers that are safe and professional will be in great demand.

purgoose10 · Jan 17, 2011

Tennesseahawk said:
It's strange that in a time where unemployment has hit one out of ten, people are having a hard time putting drivers in their seats. I guess either some jobs are still taboo, or the extension of unemployment insurance IS the new job of the decade.

The biggest problem I see is no one wants to work anymore. The word Sweat scares them. No one want's to start at the bottom and work up, now it's start at the top, if you don't like it I can be CEO of another truck.

Desperado · Jan 17, 2011

out of the ones Ive been talking with the amount of money they want is way to high had one last week say he wouldn't run for less than .75 all miles

RedBird · Jan 18, 2011

The sad truth is that it is hard to find a good driver out there, whether it be for a local or OTR or even expedited. It takes a special unique individual to be a driver, someone who has to know the good with the bad. I've done local and expedite. Driven for a fleet owner and as an o/o. It is true, driving local, your never going to make the money like you would in expedite. And for some yes being on the road for extended periods of time is the only way to make good money in expedite. However as I keep track of the driver chat especially in the section of "Location" there are some drivers who do try to get home if/when they're in their home area. Most guys who want to experience the career change are not used to being away from the family or the long sitting period waiting for that next load.
It seems the best drivers are those who have retired from other occupations and have a steady check coming in, and do not want to fully retire so they get into this type of work. And there are the H/W teams who have done their research and made the plung into expediting and have been successful in their switch.
When I worked for a large retail company in their logistics division, we dealt with the major truck load carriers. I was told one time during a meeting with one such carrier, that because of the driver shortage they were in, they were recruitng ex-convicts to become OTR drivers to fill the driver shortage. That is one scary thought!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And while I do believe in redemption and giving people a second chance in society.....who knows maybe that is a viable solution!

greg334 · Jan 18, 2011

What driver shortage?

The problems isn't with the drivers, it is the time of the year. This isn't the time of year to find people, never seemed to be in the past.

With the revolving door policies of the big carriers, they are the one's complaining about a driver shortage because they just shuffle them through and out the other end.

The one thing that I found out in finding reliable drivers you have 40 applicants and only one that looks good. No one takes responsibility for their actions, like being bad drivers and it shows in this profession. The attitude follows that but overall you have to advertise.

How about a recruiting company, I think there are a few out there that will find drivers for you. But as mentioned, start with that great company you belong to first.

davekc · Jan 18, 2011

Most of it is poor performance on the carriers part with regards to driver retention. That is both truckload and expedite.
Rather than address the actual problem, many are looking for the foreign labor down south of the border to fill the void.
I don't think it was by accident that all the Mexican truck border issues are back again.
Keep in mind, they will all have great driving records because they don't record anything down there.

nightcreacher · Jan 18, 2011

Tri State has given me some numbers,but so far haven't worked out.Best person I found was on craigslist but his app wasn't good with Tri State,so I'm still looking.
TH eproblem I'm having is their Dac reports,don't match what they put on their apps

06081956 · Jan 18, 2011

Its is hard to find the right person to fit in this market i left a local driving job to do expedite with fed ex. Got up to white glove, dod. Truck had all equipment needed. But the owner started to lets not say lie about certain issues. Incentives and bonuses was issue. Did this for 1 1/2 years. Went i came home it was difficult finding a driving position. I had three years hauling jp-8 jet fuel had twic card with no incidents or accidents. Finally i found a driving job been there ever since. But i still miss expedite driving often think of coming back out make nowhere near the money with expedite but you cant put a price on home every day. I think that is the question at least for me any way. I think steve i had talked to you before early back when i was looking into expedite. Good luck

RoadDawgg · Jan 21, 2011

Night, why don't you send me a PM? I'd be interested in discussing it with you.

Thanks!
Christopher

Curtishardy · Jan 21, 2011

I think I understand the difficulties in finding a driver. I have been driving for 3 years, living on the road full time. My wife and I talked about being a fleet team but are now thinking about just buying a sprinter van and start expediting. I enjoy the driving but the idea of not having to log and scale sounds refreshing as well. We believe in service excellence. It would be difficult to find someone that could live up to the standards we set on ourselves. As a co driver, I would go nuts. Living that closely with someone I don't know sounds worst than going hungry and barefoot in the snow. I wish you well finding someone that will work out for you. The hard part for us will be finding a company that is signing on new Sprinter teams.

Rabbit · Jan 24, 2011

For what it's worth, I'm almost 50 years old, have held a steady job for 25 years and haven't gotten a ticket since 1982. I like to think that'd make me a good out-of-school candidate. But I've got sleep apnea and have it bad, and can't use the machine well enough to make the little datacard happy. (Until I can leap that hurdle I'm not going to spend the money for driving school.) So, for what it's worth I want to become a driver more than just about anything and the government won't let me. That doesn't explain _all_ the shortage, but it explains part of it.

greg334 · Jan 24, 2011

Rabbit said:
can't use the machine well enough to make the little datacard happy

Why worry about the "datacard"?

You need to have 70% of usage of 4 hours or more. That should not be an issue. If you are having problems with the setup, you should see the provider to have a proper fitting of the mask and to ensure that the unit is set properly. If the pressure is too high, then the mask selection will be limited to a few which are designed for low leakage.

BUT with that said I was told by a DOT advisory doctor today he won't accept the datacard info because it doesn't show any difficulties in using the equipment or how you are monitored by a treating physician. He explained that the sleep study results are good for 24 months following the study under present DOT rules, not the primarily guidelines that have will come in effect later this year and recommends another study one at 18 months not 12 months as the DOT wants you to have as an alternative.

He also alluded to the fact that the impact of sleep apnea is not as great of a problem as many of his fellow doctors make it out as, mainly they own or have practices that specialize in it and find this as a untapped cash cow.

moose · Jan 24, 2011

greg334 said:
, mainly they own or have practices that specialize in it and find this as a untapped cash cow.

HOMEWORK:
look out for how many booths it will takes from the MATS floor plan.
I'v counted 8 in Dallas!
that's a lot of cow's...

Pianoguy · Feb 7, 2011

Another issue could be that people are just more wary and better educated. Yes, people out there are unemployed but not desperate either, they have learned to live within their means and honestly seem to be very cautious about future choices.

I know here in the Nashville TN area there are several groups that speak at various tech schools and offer seminars to steer people away from the trucking industry altogether.

That is something you wouldn't have seen maybe a few years ago, the focus of an unhealthy lifestyle, burn-out, over regulation etc may not be appealing to someone who is considering a career choice. The internet has made the world smaller with more information available to everyone and these people are just doing their homework.