What driving down trucker's wages I would guess is that some people will drive a truck for crappy wages, likely in a crappy truck. They are scared to quit.
That is certainly part of it, they think it is the only job they can do. But they are not scared to quit. They do it for a while, get fed up and walk away or get in trouble and end up as a bad risk, and "meat in the seat" for the less scrupulous companies.
Over the years, I have met, trained and hired thousands of drivers. When I was conducting orientations for a large carrier, we would schedule in 40 drivers, 25 would show up and at the end of each and every week I would have maybe 12 new drivers for a fleet of 230 trucks. We never had enough drivers.
I'll have to take your word for it because, while I'm very familiar with CAPITALISM, I'm not sure just what "capitolism" is.
Is that the belief that every country should have a capitol?
Its a belief that MeM really should stop trying to talk on one phone and type on the other. Followed by learning to walk and chew gum at the same time.
Trucking gets in your blood, that is why there are still truckers. That said, if you removed law enforcement, the US would survive longer than if you removed trucking. If you removed hospitals, the US would survive longer, if you removed fire departments the US would survive longer, if you removed prisons and jails, the US would survive longer, if you removed any essential to the survival of the average citizen institute the us would survive longer. Grocery stores stock 3 days worth of food. Civilization would stop without truckers, and we can't go back to the old ways. So tell me trucker haters, why if a trucker has the top value to society, and has a significantly shorter life span, and is one of the most dangerous jobs out there. He should be paid a wage that does not make ends meet? Part of it is public stupidity, "I wish all truckers would die"... of course that means the USA dies, but stupid can't understand that. Part of it is trucking companies looking at drivers as just a expense. However a driver can get their own authority fairly cheaply and interact with brokers directly, making the company irrelevant. So the overhead is the endless management and departments. Drivers don't need them. Part of it softening inflation, if rates were where they should be, then cost would go up. If you pay a driver 10 cents more a mile. The delivery might cost 20 dollars more, by the time every who is entitled takes there cut it will be 2000 dollars more. Even though the driver was under payed the entire time. Everyone will take their share. So a .50 cent bag of noodles will cost 5.00 dollars at the end and the driver increase cost maybe .05 percent of that. Part of it is trucking companies putting the entire burden on drivers. Your right head light goes out going down the road, you pull over and call the company, they say you have to drive it to a truck stop and fix it. You proceed, state trooper pulls you over, you get the ticket and points on the CSA. Company in the clear, though it was their call. Now the better companies have to compete against companies that run criminal. IE no brakes etc, because its the drivers fault even though they don't and wont repair trucks. That drives cost down, and its not capitalism it is criminal vs legit business.
One could write a novel on why supply and demand isn't working here. Capitalism is perfect and so is our constitution, but aholes find a way to corrupt both. There is no company driver who should be working for under a dollar a mile, and there is no owner op who should be working for under 3 dollars a mile, and you better care, because your life depends on it.
Now lets hear more of the unskilled, fat, lazy stupid comments from the ignorant.
[This message has been edited by dennis_6 (edited 04-18-2017).]
When I say that OTR trucking is a tough job, it is much more than just being able to successfully operate the equipment. It is the long hours, substandard day to day living conditions, weeks away from friends and family, and so much more.
OTR trucking is a tough job, but those that do it, made that choice.. the lack of time with family/friends/etc. the long days. the sleeping in a rig. or a motel dive.. Many job's have this problems.. many SHIFTS.. Work 3rd shift. and your social life is all but over, family gets to say, hi, bye. and not much else.. You know this going in..
Wages can't be down all that much.. as My neighbor 2 houses down. gross per week is 3k.. and he is driving a company truck.. He sold his own rig years ago.. as it sat, as he drove The trucking company's trucks.. Not every company pays like swift.
[This message has been edited by E.Furgal (edited 04-18-2017).]
"The Government has allowed Capitalism to be corrupted, we need more Government involved."
Also. I chose to be out here, I'm not constantly posting about how hard my job is, or how specialized I have to bla bla bla. Because none of that crap is true. We all chose to come out here, and we all choose to stay out here. If I left this job right now they would have someone else taking my load in literally minutes. My leaving wouldn't cost anyone anything extra, I wouldn't even be a blip on their radar.
I'm a truck driver, a good day is one where I don't start drooling on my shirt.
30 years ago it was a career where guys took a beating for a living. Now I sit on a comfortable seat, in an air conditioned truck, with power steering, listening to XM radio, following a GPS, with an entire house on my back. When I park I have internet, and could have satellite TV too. And I make decent money doing it. A lot of guys even have Auto Shift. There is a reason there are so many severely obese truck drivers.
A Washington State study showed that 1 out of every 4,430 full-time employees in the Washington trucking industry will be fatally injured. In fact, there were 52 deaths during the years 2006-2012.
Five a year.
[This message has been edited by cliffw (edited 04-18-2017).]
"The Government has allowed Capitalism to be corrupted, we need more Government involved."
Brad
I read it as not willing to face the truth, as we can't handle the truth. Our years of not giving two shats about people taking jobs from others. either by the jobs leaving, or the hiring of non-born here, sponsored workers.. Working for 1/4th of the American worker and not standing up to it, Cuz well it didn't effect you, so why care.. THHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN. It walks into your job type, and oh, no what the hell.. it needs to be stopped..
The o/p wants to point the finger at the evil businesses.. They are not the ones, walking into the interview and agreeing to working for much less.. it's the immigrant that are.. And no business is going to say, no you should get paid 5 times that.. they are going to say. oh, your hired, and on a x day probation ..
The pay rate avg. going down, is called a "correction" Want it fixed, That is easy.. no lic. to drive for those not citizens.. do it fast, as your robot replacement is coming .. Then it be just a min wage worker in the seat, to sign the paperwork (b.o.l., and d.o.t. tickets/etc) in the truck.. Suck doesn't it..
I read it as not willing to face the truth, as we can't handle the truth. Our years of not giving two shats about people taking jobs from others. either by the jobs leaving, or the hiring of non-born here, sponsored workers.. Working for 1/4th of the American worker and not standing up to it, Cuz well it didn't effect you, so why care.. THHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN. It walks into your job type, and oh, no what the hell.. it needs to be stopped..
The o/p wants to point the finger at the evil businesses.. They are not the ones, walking into the interview and agreeing to working for much less.. it's the immigrant that are.. And no business is going to say, no you should get paid 5 times that.. they are going to say. oh, your hired, and on a x day probation ..
The pay rate avg. going down, is called a "correction" Want it fixed, That is easy.. no lic. to drive for those not citizens.. do it fast, as your robot replacement is coming .. Then it be just a min wage worker in the seat, to sign the paperwork (b.o.l., and d.o.t. tickets/etc) in the truck.. Suck doesn't it..
You do understand the low pay isn't a new thing, right?. You also understand illegals are not driving trucks, you need a Cdl. Finally you understand that aI have always been vocally against illegals and so has most truckers. You also understand if you did the math a trucker is probably at min wage. However there is a shortage, now tell me how a shortage equals low pay if no "evil " company manipulation. Btw self driving trucks are a joke.
I am deeply offended by this. This poem isn't gender neutral.
What if the trucker was a woman, and she had a stay at home man? What if it was a gay man who was married to a gay man that stayed home? What if it was a woman trucker who was gay and had a female that stayed home (I guess that one would work then actually).
What if one of them was a transgender and identified as a man? Would he/she still call the one at home "doll?"
This is sexist. I'm going to complain to Cliff, and I think we need to boycott all of the sponsors of this site...
What if the trucker was a woman, and she had a stay at home man? What if it was a gay man who was married to a gay man that stayed home? What if it was a woman trucker who was gay and had a female that stayed home (I guess that one would work then actually).
What if one of them was a transgender and identified as a man? Would he/she still call the one at home "doll?"
I have actually known drivers who fit every one of those descriptions, and then some.
You do understand the low pay isn't a new thing, right?. You also understand illegals are not driving trucks, you need a Cdl. Finally you understand that aI have always been vocally against illegals and so has most truckers. You also understand if you did the math a trucker is probably at min wage. However there is a shortage, now tell me how a shortage equals low pay if no "evil " company manipulation. Btw self driving trucks are a joke.
you do know that people with visa's are working driving trucks.. You do know you DON"T hve to be LEGAL to get a lic to drive.. You do know many get a stolen S.S.# and then get a CDL.. and work for much less.. I see it everyday.. I sign their b.o.l. and check in the loads.
Originally posted by dennis_6: That is a state publication, here is a federal one.
Your link ... :
quote
.............. 6,026 4.5 1.0 Timber cutters ................................................. 109 141.6 31.5 Fishers ............................................................ 71 137.3 30.5 Structural metal workers .................................. 52 82.5 18.3 Aircraft pilots ................................................... 91 80.5 17.9 Extractive occupations ..................................... 60 48.0 10.9 Construction laborers ...................................... 335 40.7 9.0 Taxicab drivers ................................................ 82 30.0 6.7 Truckdrivers .................................................... 879 29.2 6.5 Farm occupations ............................................ 592 28.6 6.4 Roofers ........................................................... 50 20.7 4.6 Index of Occupation Fatalities Rate1 relative risk2 1 Rate equals (fatal work injuries / employment) X 100,000 workers. 2 Index of relative risk equals fatality rate for a given group / fatality rate for all workers. NOTE: Employment estimates are based on the 1998 Current Population Survey. Data may not sum to total because of rounding and the omission of miscellaneous categories. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries TABLE 1. Number, rate, and index of relative risk of fatal injuries by selected occupation,Click to show
My apologies. I can not re-format that into "chart" table format. Page one of your PDF document ...
Truckers are not the most endangered people on the planet.
Hold your horses guys. So far as I know the middle class economic power has gone down being highest about in 60s. This applies the whole "western world". In my country the big company CEOs earn millions even though the make dad decissions and if they are kicked out they get the golden handshake. Those people tell us that the working people (those who really increase the capital) are too expensive. Its not the immigrants who lower the salaries. There are people also in my country who complaint about immigrants (30000 came and 15000 were send back), they take the jobs, women, appartments, whatever. There are jobs offered but domestics don´t take them so they are given to immigrants who work hard. After the WWII the bosses and workers knew eachother and the boss wonted to help his brothers in combat. He knew that like in war he can trust those people and they can trust him. After these generations the situation has changed slowly to the point we are now. I believe in capitalism, but capitalism needs responsibility for other people and modern CEOs have lost that feeling.
My apologies. I can not re-format that into "chart" table format. Page one of your PDF document ...
Truckers are not the most endangered people on the planet.
No one said they were, but as far as civilian jobs go it is either the deadliest, or one of the deadliest depending on the year. The ones it competes with, usually pay better, with less hours. Just saying.
Not sure what the hang up is, is the a freudian thing, where a slow truck, you know mountain grade and heavy load, makes you disrespect the people that give you and your family life? Just wondering.
... as far as civilian jobs go, trucking, it is either the deadliest, or one of the deadliest depending on the year.
Yeah, it's #7 on the top ten list.
quote
Originally posted by dennis_6: The ones it competes with, usually pay better, with less hours. Just saying.
Just saying what ? Don't go trucking ?
quote
Originally posted by dennis_6: Not sure what the hang up is, is the a freudian thing, where a slow truck, you know mountain grade and heavy load, makes you disrespect the people that give you and your family life? Just wondering.
I have the utmost respect for truckers. Some much more than others. Not all are mountain grade heavy load able. No different from any other trade.
No one said they were, but as far as civilian jobs go it is either the deadliest, or one of the deadliest depending on the year. The ones it competes with, usually pay better, with less hours. Just saying.
Not sure what the hang up is, is the a freudian thing, where a slow truck, you know mountain grade and heavy load, makes you disrespect the people that give you and your family life? Just wondering.
Maybe unionize.. and demand higher wages.. Cause if the wages are dropping, it is because those that need a job are willing to work for that wage.. nothing more. I know unions are evil/liberal and all.. so that is out. but the only reason wages drop is because a warn body will fill the seat.. and drive.. That supply and demand thing.. You blame the evil corps.. funny no one is forcing with a gun to anyone's head to work for the lower wage.. They applied and stated what they like to get paid,, or applied knowing the start rate,, and took the job.. Want higher wages,, get those agreeing to work for that lower wage to stop.. doing it.. When a business needs workers and no one is applying , they have to raise the pay to get people to apply.. when they have people applying and a stack of apps in a folder to call in for an interview, they can offer less.. no matter the field/industry this is how it works.. Why you think trucking business should just pay more than they need to to get a body in a seat, is comical..
Establishing a salary based on some arbitrary notion doesn't work. i.e. the $15 min wage for "fast food" workers. Salaries are based on the employees contribution to the completion of the job. If their contribution does not add to the bottom line for the employer, they are no longer needed. A truck driver's salary is based on his timely delivery of what he is carrying.
Like setting a price on a product or service. If the consumer does not see the value of a product or service, they do not purchase it. Either the price decreases or the product goes off the shelf.
If you do not feel that the compensation you receive for driving, find a job where you find a suitable salary or obtain the skill sets you need to demand a higher salary.
Establishing a salary based on some arbitrary notion doesn't work. i.e. the $15 min wage for "fast food" workers. Salaries are based on the employees contribution to the completion of the job. If their contribution does not add to the bottom line for the employer, they are no longer needed. A truck driver's salary is based on his timely delivery of what he is carrying.
$15 an hour for fast food workers is PERFECTLY fine...
...if they think customers will still want to buy their $7 dollar Big Macs. I dunno about you... but I'm not paying $11 bucks for a Big Mac value meal.
Trucking gets in your blood, that is why there are still truckers.
