Fuel for Thought

Tin Can; One Year Goal

Spring is in the air, and freight should be picking up. As freight picks up many of the carriers who froze signing on new owners will start opening their doors. This is a good time for those looking for a new carrier or those looking for a new career to get their stuff together. This note is about a particular goal that I like to push on people. Set yourself a personal goal that which ever carrier you sign on with you plan to stay with them for at least one year.

Most drivers don’t survive their first year. Cargo vanners probably have a greater turnover rate, because it is so easy to get started that people don’t properly research their options. Do thorough research, and the final selection has a better chance of being something you can stomach for a year.

Why a year? A churning driver base hurts the entire transportation industry. The money that companies waste on processing new drivers is money that will never go towards company improvements. A year gives a new driver the chance to learn the carrier’s system. It has taken about six months before things started running smoothly for any move I’ve made. It takes time for a carrier and driver to get to know one another. Late one night dispatch called—Head to Chicago. I cranked up the van and flew. At my previous carrier that kind of abrupt call meant that pick up time was close, so get moving and load information will follow. At this new carrier, it meant “we are giving you an empty move,”and I should have asked more questions…  After my move to Load One, it was a full nine months before I had the data to fully realize how much of a difference there was to my bottom line. I felt like I was working at a grudgingly slow pace. In the end I was winning, but it took time to accumulate the data to realize it.

One year gives a driver a chance to see a full cycle of the seasons—busy and slow.

Another reason to stick out a year with a carrier is because it helps keep your work history looking reasonable. The first question from one recruiter was, “How many carriers have you driven for in the past three years?” An answer of more than three was an automatic end of the interview. Some carriers require one year experience, so treating the first carrier as a one year training period leaves you available for more options at the end of your training year. Driving the whole year might give you more insight into the expedite industry, instead of becoming an expert of carriers' orientation programs.

And there is also the chance that after things settle down by the end of the year, you realize you have a carrier you can stick with.

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