Where have all of the drivers gone?

[QRTRHRS]

I thought that I would post this here so let's keep it civil and to the point. Seems to me that there are plenty of members that input on this sub topic that have spent some time on the road? Anyway, I just read yet another story on the so called "professional" driver shortage, this time the article was by Bloomberg.

The article covered the usual bases, long hours away from home, the hours of service, computerized logs (which I myself liked when I last drove) and even the lack of parking places. Of the latter, the article did not mention how drivers are harassed when they choose to park in the "wrong" place.

Anyway, all in all the typical article, save for one thing. I have yet to read one, count that one, article about how often, not always, but how often, drivers are treated shall we say badly at their delivery points? It matters not that there just happened to be an accident that held one up, or a DOT check or whatever. You miss that unrealistic delivery time and suddenly, you face fines or whatever. Then there is the dock manager that treats you like you have impregnated his wife or teenage daughter from the moment you stepped out of your truck. Oh, let's not forget signing in which includes your (sacred) drivers license ID number with a minimal wage security officer.

LOL, beyond all of my rant, there is the actual challenge of just keeping it together on the road.

 

[RayfromTX]

"Then there is the dock manager that treats you like you have impregnated his wife or teenage daughter from the moment you stepped out of your truck."

That's not the best way to keep it civil. I personally treat the drivers that deliver to my site with honor and compassion and often with a meal. The dispatchers are pretty rough on them and what they do should be priced as a skill not a commodity. It's right up there with teaching for professions that are underpaid and under appreciated. Unionization might help.

 

[atsah]

It’s a tough job, my brother drives pups from Maine to western Massachusetts every night, I could never do it.

 

[1010]

One word, REGULATIONS.

 

[two_bit_score]

One word, REGULATIONS.

Kills almost all initiative.

 

[redman135]

I drive drive local tipper and get home every night. And I am getting pi**ed off at the increasing harassment of badly designed intersections and "traffic calming" like artificially tight corners that force a truck and trailer unit into oncoming traffic to get around the traffic island, and speed bumps, and short phased traffic lights that are timed for 1 car and turn red on a 20 ton truck moving from a standing start etc.
Complains have been made and nothing.
What would happen if somebody (with a deep pocket) hit the roads and council people using the Occupational Health and Safety regulations?

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I have not driven "for a living" in decades. But when I did, no customer or remote site ever treated me half as badly as the company I worked for did. Our supervisors and managers treated us like total garbage, like something that should be scraped off the bottom of a shoe when they stepped in something "icky". That, the long hours, the crappy pay (vs. number of hours worked), and the total time away from home convinced me that driving "for a living" was no way to live. Can't say that I've missed it. Let my CDL lapse a long time ago. Hope I never have to go back to that for a job (and doubt I could pass the physical anymore anyway, lol.).

 

[Bird]

Both of my younger brothers used to drive for a living. The younger of the two drove in Alaska, and at one time owned his own truck. I never heard him complain about the job, the people he worked for and with. But the other brother drove coast to coast in the lower 48 for awhile, disliked the job, the company he drove for, and frequently the customers he delivered to.:laughing: One of my nephews has been a trucking company dispatcher for many years, and another nephew was a driver for many years. My wife and I spent 6 years as full time RVers in the early '90s, and got into some part of every state except California. Everywhere we spent a night, I bought a local newspaper, and I don't think I have ever seen a newspaper in which the ad section did not include ads looking for truck drivers.

I reckon it's like any other job or occupation; some are happy, some are not. And I would guess that the turnover rate among drivers is pretty high.

 

[MossRoad]

Where have all the drivers gone?

For the past three years, I'd sit across the fence from I80/90 in South Bend, IN waiting for my wife to get off of work, or go to lunch, etc.... And I'd count semi's. I pretty consistantly averaged 10 per minute, or, one every 6 seconds. She used to come out to the car and say "How many?" and laugh! She also counted them on her break. She'd go outside and sit at a picnic table, eat a piece of fruit, count the trucks, and when she got to 100 trucks, she knew her 10 minutes was up.

 

[JJZ 109]

Used to be a time when drivers were a dime a dozen. Now with DOT physicals, ELD, etc. people just don't want the grief anymore. There are ads everywhere for CDL drivers that tout sign on bonus, home time, health insurance, 401k, etc.
I'm retired and have a pension from my "real" job and own my own business. But I also have a part time job as a CDL driver. It's been good the last few years but the beauty of it is that one cross word from the boss or anything else that makes me mad, I'm out the door. They need me worse than I need them. I've seen a lot of new faces shuffle in and out the last few years.