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May 16, 2016

TRUCKER'S JOBS * USA: From the best to one of the worst

* DC - How trucking went from ... Because longer hours, lower pay, less clout

--- In 1980, the average trucker in America was making an annual salary, adjusted for inflation, equal to more than $110,000 today. Twenty-five years later, truckers make on average about $40,000 a year, working harder, longer hours, and with less job security... Sociologist Steve Viscelli, in the Atlantic, describes how truck driving—once a blue-collar job with good benefits, relatively high wages, and considerable political clout—today is just the opposite... Following deregulation of the trucking industry in the late 1970s, during the Jimmy Carter administration, competition among truckers increased and compensation fell as commonly set rates went by the wayside. At the same time, the once legendary clout of truckers’ unions (the Teamsters) began to disintegrate along with the political influence of unions throughout the country... Viscelli blames the decline of trucker fortunes on the rise of independent contracting—an arrangement wherein trucking companies outsource many of the risks and costs of trucking to truckers themselves while declining to pay for benefits, all while advertising the arrangement as one that empowers truckers as small business owners... But the reality can be anything but empowering. Viscelli notes that some contracts in which truckers lease their vehicles from companies bind them in an kind of indentured servitude until the full cost of the lease is paid. In some cases, a trucker who wants to switch companies or leave the job might be hit with a bill of as much as $65,000... The relatively low pay and long hours in the trucking business may be the reason for the substantial shortage of qualified truckers in the United States today. To address the driver shortage, the American Truckers Association recommends “increasing driver pay, getting drivers more time at home, as well as improving the image of the driver and their treatment by all companies in the supply chain” ...
(Photo) -- Washington, DC, USA - The Times, by Denver Nicks - May 10, 2016 

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Oct 28, 2015

TRUCKER JOBS * USA REPORT: 297,922 Openings for truck drivers in September -- ** FedEx Corp. will hire 55,000 temporary workers

* DC: U.S. Employment Outlook, the nation’s transportation sector has 355,520 open jobs nationwide
-- According to the Simply Hired U.S. Employment Outlook for September, the nation’s transportation sector has 355,520 open jobs nationwide, representing 7.54 percent of all job openings, with four out of five of those for truck drivers... Simply Hired, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based independent job search engine, just released its September 2015 outlook that analyzes millions of online job listings in every occupation to provide detailed insight into national and local job trends.. According to the latest findings, nationwide job listings dipped 0.65 percent between August 2015 and September 2015. Job growth remains strong and broad-based, with the exception of hospitality, which saw a 5 percent decline in job listings over this one-month period... Transportation continues to offer significant opportunities for job seekers. The sector generated 355,520 U.S. job listings in September 2015 – an increase of 20 percent from the same time last year. Nationwide, transportation accounts for 7.54 percent of all job openings. The U.S. cities with the highest concentration of transportation job openings include St. Louis, Cleveland-Akron, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia... Transportation jobs most in demand by employers include truck drivers (297,922 job openings), taxi drivers and chauffeurs (9,973), delivery service drivers (6,678), forklift operators (3,545), and bus drivers (2,572)... 
Washington, DC, USA - Trucking News - October 5, 2015


** Tennessee - FedEx to hire 55,000 to handle online-fueled holiday shipping

-- FedEx Corp. will hire about 55,000 temporary workers to grapple with an expected 12% increase in shipping this holiday season, bolstered by an extra day of shopping and continued growth of online purchases. The number of planned seasonal workers is about 10% more than last year, spokesman Tim Miller said... FedEx, operator of the largest cargo airline, and UPS Inc. plan throughout the year to handle the increase in shipments during the holidays... UPS will hire as many as 95,000 workers, about the same number as last year...
(Photo: FedEx's loads, interior view)   --  Memphis, TNN, USA - Transport Topics, by Mary Schlangenstein - 26 Oct 2015

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Aug 28, 2013

* USA - TRUCKERS JOB - Being a truck driver is simply not lucrative, Graves said

* Texas - Trucking hasn't done well in driver pay, Graves tells industry executives

(Photo: Bill Graves, ATA President and CEO )
Dallas,TXS,USA -The Trucker, by LYNDON FINNEY -22 Aug 2013: -- Trucking has not done well in compensating its drivers, American Trucking Associations President and CEO, Bill Graves, told a room full of fellow industry executives Thursday morning... “This will be one of the key factors we will have to face if we are going to overcome the driver shortage,” Graves said during an address at the Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference under way here in conjunction with the Great American Trucking Show... “But no one wants to hear about it” ... Being a truck driver is simply not a lucrative job, Graves said in presenting a series of facts that showed the situation surrounding the driver shortage, which the former two-term Kansas governor emphasized to the executives “is real” ... Since truck drivers are paid by the mile, that impacts their bottom line, Graves reminded the executives...

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Oct 10, 2011

TRUCKING JOBS * USA - Trucking Adds 2,600 Jobs

Unemployment Rate Holds at 9.1%

(Photo by Bruce Harmon/Trans Pixs)
Washington,DC,USA -Transport Topics -7 Oct 2011: -- The unemployment rate held at 9.1% in September, while the economy added 103,000 jobs, including 2,600 trucking jobs, the Labor Department said Friday...   Total transportation and warehousing sector employment declined by 1,900 workers, Labor figures showed...  The static unemployment rate was in line with economists’ projections, while the number of jobs gained was well over the 60,000 forecast, Bloomberg reported...  The payrolls gain followed a revised 57,000 increase in August that was more than the unchanged level that was originally reported...

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Apr 20, 2010

Students * Australia - Get a taste of transport industry

Adelaida,South Australia,Australia -ATN -April 20, 2010: -- A $1.3 million mobile education centre has begun touring South Australian secondary schools today as part of a strategy to encourage school leavers to enter the transport industry... The Australian Trucking Association’s (ATA) semi-trailer, labelled the Road Ahead, is filled with interactive displays about road safety and the trucking industry... Students touring the specialised trailer - which includes a presentation and a chance to use the interactive displays - will have an opportunity to try gear changing, loading a truck and much more... South Australia’s peak freight industry group, the SA Freight Council, says it is vital to encourage young people to enter the transport industry due to critical skill shortages... (Photo from roadtransport/big-lorry-blog: South Australia's trucks)

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Oct 11, 2009

TRUCKERS' JOBS * Australia - Transport Workers Union launches truck campaign

Perth,WA,Australia -The PerthNow Business, by Cortlan Bennett -October 10, 2009: -- The Transport Workers Union will today launch a major North-West campaign to ensure ``WA jobs for WA truck drivers''... TWU state secretary Jim McGiveron said the initiative was brought on by the current industry slump -described as the worst in WA's history- amid the $43 billion Gorgan gas project announced off Barrow Island... Mr McGiveron said the campaign would focus on ensuring WA truck drivers benefitted from the next resources boom... Mr McGiveron denied the campaign was a union recruitment drive... (Images from bitethedust)

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Jul 17, 2009

Owning The Wheel * USA - The bottom 30 percent

USA -The Trucker News Services, by JOHN EWING -17 July 2009: -- When times get tough, the freight slows down and the need for drivers and owner-operators alike goes down with it. The major companies have filled acres with parked trucks and have laid off thousands of drivers and terminated the leases of many owner-operators. So how do you avoid the unemployment line? How do you insure that you will be the last truck to stop rolling?... Probably the best way to stay on top of the dispatcher’s list is to remember how the system works and to be sure the dispatcher understands your philosophy. If you’ll always remember that your job is to run miles and his job is to get you miles, you’ll go a lot further both down the road and up the list. Never argue with your dispatcher over what you perceive as a bad load; there are no bad loads, just bad dispatchers and bad drivers. That 200 mile load that delivers in two days is meant to get you from an area with no good freight to an area where there IS good freight. A good dispatcher will usually TELL you that this bad load will end with a good one, but regardless if you’re informed or not, take the load... (Photo: Final word of advice, the grass isn’t any greener on the other side of the fence)

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Jun 25, 2009

JOB LOSSES * Canada - Trucking hit hard by April ones

Ottawa,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -25 June 2009: -- If job losses were an Olympic sport, trucking would be a bronze medal winner for April’s competition... According to preliminary figures released by Statistics Canada, April was the first month where service sector job losses outpaced those in the goods sector, and 3300 of them came from truck transportation... The provinces with the largest declines in non-farm payroll employment in April were Ontario, Alberta, B.C. and Manitoba. Employment in the other provinces was little changed in the month...

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May 12, 2009

Trucking Employment * USA - Drops in April

Washington,DC,USA -eTrucker -11 May 2009: -- Payroll employment among for-hire trucking companies in April dropped 1.2 percent from March levels and 9 percent from April 2008 on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to preliminary figures released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics... The estimated 16,200 jobs lost in April increase to more than 57,000 trucking jobs lost since the end of 2008 – a decline of 4.3 percent. Job cuts since the beginning of August when trucking job cuts began to accelerate total nearly 107,000, or 7.7 percent. The BLS numbers reflect all payroll employment in for-hire trucking, but they don’t include trucking-related jobs in other industries, such as a truck driver for a private fleet... According to BLS, seasonally adjusted trucking employment peaked in January 2007 at more than 1.45 million. Since then, for-hire trucking companies have shed more than 171,000 jobs, or 11.8 percent... (Photo from carrievillines: truckers)

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May 9, 2009

TRUCKERS' JOBS * USA - April Costs Truckers 16,000 More Jobs

Transportation/warehousing sector loses 38,000 as unemployment keeps rising

Washington,DC,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by John D. Boyd -May 8, 2009: -- The U.S. trucking industry shed more than 16,000 jobs in April, the Labor Department said, as part of a 38,000 job loss in the transportation and warehousing sector... Labor listed 4.256 million workers in transportation and warehouse jobs last month, down from 4.294 million in March and 4.552 million in April 2008... Trucking has the largest contingent in that group, with 1.283 million, and its 16,200 job loss was also the largest in the transport and storage industries. Warehousing ended with 644,100 workers, after it lost 7,600 in April... (Photo from cache.daylife - Females in trucking)

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Feb 13, 2009

TRUCKERS' JOB * USA - Trucking firm hiring more than 10 drivers for Wichita and other cities


Wichita,KS,USA -The Wichita Eagle, by RICK PLUMLEE -12 Feb 2009: -- At a time when layoffs seem to be dominating the news, a national trucking firm announced today it is adding 10 new jobs for the Wichita area... The hirings are the result of Averitt Express expanding its services into Kansas. It had previously covered the state with partner carriers... Averitt will have a drop yard in Wichita where drivers will be based and park their trucks... Averitt spokesman Lyndon Johnson said, "Averitt's expansion is the result of requests by customers. And part of that demand has been caused by the down economy"... Johnson said that wholesalers and manufacturers are carrying smaller inventories, resulting in more frequent shipments... Johnson said the company would be hiring 10 drivers for three other cities: Des Moines and Davenport, Iowa, and Kansas City, Mo...

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Jan 14, 2009

Trucking * USA - Most popular profession in one state: Arkansas

ARK,USA -The Trucker News Services -13 Jan 2009: -- In a story on the most and least popular jobs in each state by CareerBuilder.com, trucking was listed as the most popular profession in one state, Arkansas, while in most states the most popular occupation was retail sales... The least popular profession to go into in Arkansas was orthotists and prosthetists, with only 30 in the state, while the Natural state boasted 37,710 truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer...

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Jul 4, 2008

TRUCK DRIVERS' JOBS * Australia - Changes to temporary business subclass 457 visa program for

Australia -Visa Bureau (London,England,UK), by Jessica Bird -3 July 2008: -- ... The 457 visa allows employers to hire overseas workers on a temporary basis to fill skills shortages. The commercial driving industry in Australia is currently suffering from a labour shortage, and has been hiring temporary foreign workers under the 457 visa to boost employment numbers... The review concluded, however, that hiring temporary drivers on a visa for Australia is not a safe or sustainable option... They also said the 457 visa only solves regional gaps in the driving industry. At the moment, each state and territory have different licensing requirements, meaning foreign workers can drive in some states without an Australian licence, and not in others... The group also asked for international commercial drivers to be approved permanent entry visas for Australia instead of the temporary 457 visa... It also recommended new legislation to ensure all overseas immigrants obtain an appropriate Australian driver’s licence before commencing employment as a commercial driver... (The Australian Visa Bureau is an independent visa and migration consulting firm, specialising in arranging visas for British and Irish nationals looking to live, work and travel by gaining an Australia visa)

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Apr 15, 2008

TRUCKER's JOBS * USA - ATA, US Army Reserve partner to provide opportunities for Reservists who can drive truck

Arlington,VA,USA -Truck News (CAN) -15 April 2008: -- The American Trucking Associations (ATA) has teamed up with the US Army Reserve in a creative partnership that will share the skills of truck drivers... The deal provides experienced truck drivers to the US military and also offers careers to truck drivers leaving the military... The deal is being termed the first Motor Transport Military Civilian Partnership. The partnership will include incentives for fleets that hire drivers from the Army Reserve...

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Oct 14, 2007

Truckers' Job * USA - What Makes Quit and What Gets Them Fired?

USA -Trucker to Trucker -14 Oct 2007: -- Those are the top five reasons truck drivers quit their jobs according to a fleet manager survey conducted by Goss Gilroy, Inc. Management Consultants for TruckNews.com.
* Want better pay?
* Don't want to drive anymore
* Want shorter hours?
* Job didn't meet expectations?
* Want better benefits?

Why do drivers get fired or laid off? These are the most common reasons given by fleet managers:
* Seasonal demand
* Poor qualifications
* Poor driving record
* Decrease in overall business
* Unwillingness to drive long-haul routes

According to the survey, large companies are more likely to cite qualifications, driving record and willingness to drive long hauls as reasons for dismissal; smaller fleets most often cite seasonal demands. The majority of fleet managers screen job candidates using a variety of techniques, including:
* 84% check references
* 83% review applications
* 74% conduct interviews
* 63% require road test
* 40% check for criminal record
* 34% require drug tests
* 27% conduct attitude tests
* 17% administer aptitude tests

Interestingly enough, hiring criteria aren’t necessarily weighted the same as application requirements. Here’s how fleet managers rate driver qualifications before offering a job:
* 92% driving experience
* 91% driving record
* 82% attitude
* 69% references or referrals
* 55% road test
* 31% drug tests
* 14% training school attended

(Thanks to ATruckersWife.com for the laugh.)

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Oct 6, 2007

TRUCKERS' JOBS * USA - Heartland hits the road with truck driving school

Matching work force needs with trained workers
Bloomington-Normal,IL, USA -The Bloomington Pantagraph, by Michele Steinbacher -4 Oct 2007: -- Heartland Community College leaders see the startup of its two-month-old truck driving school as a perfect fit for one of the college’s goals... And students involved are excited about a short-term program that opens the road ahead... In one typical session Jim Turnbull, a veteran driver with 25 years on the road, sat on the passenger side while student June Harris practiced shifting gears and driving on Bloomington’s outskirts...
As a woman, the mother of seven represents a changing demographic among the drivers.
Women no longer are a strange sight in the seat of an 18-wheeler, said Turnbull... Harris, who is a nurse, is engaged to fellow student Hornbeck... Turnbull said people interested in becoming commercial truck drivers vary in age. His youngest student was 18; the oldest was a 72-year-old retired U.S. Navy veteran who previously commanded a battleship... Of Heartland’s first seven students, two are women... In the past, drivers might be out on the road three or four months before getting a visit home. But companies now work to get drivers home, sometimes even weekly, said Turnbull... That factor makes Bloomington-Normal an attractive base for truckers using interstates 55, 74, 39 and 57... “It’s phenomenal. This is a main artery here,” he said... (Photos by STEVE SMEDLEY/Pantagraph - Above: June Harris of Pontiac spoke about her experience in taking a class to learn how to drive a semi tractor trailer between sessions of hands-on driving outside the Interstate Center - Below: Truck driving student June Harris, left, is coached by training coordinator Jim Turnbull as they drive a semi tractor trailer down Mitsubishi Motorway on the west side of Bloomington-Normal)

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Oct 2, 2007

TRUCKER STORY * USA - Comments and Observations from a unsatisfied driver

"To me, it seems completely unreasonable for a driver to have to raid ATMs and shell out hundreds of dollars in a week. That's MY money, it's NOT Swift's money"...

USA -johnsantic.com/John Santic Writer/Photographer -1 Oct 2007: -- ...With my average day having 4.0 hours of waiting and only 6.4 hours of driving, it would be a BIG help if the waiting time could be reduced. That would get my average driving hours up and boost the amount of paid miles. It would also be nice to have fewer runs, but longer runs... The estimated yearly pay of $26K sounds pretty good for a rank beginner, but considering how many hours I worked and the difficulty of the job, it's a pretty poor hourly wage, only $6.40. And of all the hours I worked, only about half of them were actually driving a truck and generating paid mileage. The other half was slave labor—unpaid. As I suspected, I worked a huge number of hours per week (more than 90 while on the road), so truck drivers don't have time for an outside life. You're a truck driver and that's it—no family, no hobbies, nothing else... The amount of sleep is somewhat deceptive. At an average of 7.5 hours a day, it sounds like enough, but consider several other factors. Due to weird schedules, sleep time might be in the daytime, when it is not very refreshing. Also, the sleep time might be interrupted multiple times. Or there might be several days with much less sleep, followed by one day with a huge amount. In my opinion, the level of fatigue due to lack of quality sleep is much worse than the sleep figures seem to indicate... One sore point is the big difference between actual and paid mileage. Over the course of a year, it's like you drive six weeks for free. And the mileage difference is not accidental; the Swift routing computer deliberately plays tricks to shave miles off your pay. In this age of high technology, there's no reason why the routing computer couldn't come up with efficient routes and very accurate door-to-door mileage figures. After all, that's exactly what I wound up doing for myself: I used the DeLorme Street Atlas program on my laptop to do excellent door-to-door routing with precise mileage figures... Another sore point is having to finance the company's business by paying for business expenses with cash out of my pocket, and then having to wait for reimbursements (and hope I got them). Due to the time to process reimbursements, Swift got free use of several hundred dollars of my hard-earned money. Multiply that by thousands of other drivers, and Swift is getting a huge free loan. To me, it seems completely unreasonable for a driver to have to raid ATMs and shell out hundreds of dollars in a week. That's MY money, it's NOT Swift's money and they have no right whatsoever to use it! If they need a loan so bad, let them apply for a bank loan, just like everybody else!...

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Jun 21, 2007

JOBS * USA - Truckers decry port's employee drivers plan

Harbor: Operators say independence would be lost in bid to green fleets

Rancho Dominguez,CAL,USA -Long Beach Press-Telegram (Long Beach,CA), by Kristopher Hanson -19 June 2007: -- ... Both men, along with several peers, on Tuesday denounced a port-sponsored environmental and labor plan requiring harbor motor carriers to hire employee drivers, saying the proposal undermines the economic freedom they now enjoy... Currently, most port truckers are "owner-operators" who haul goods on their own schedule for a set flat rate... The new system being proposed by Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach could displace many of these drivers or require they be hired as hourly workers with benefits... (Photo by Stephen Carr / Press-Telegram: A truck driver works on a load at Transport Express in Rancho Dominguez)

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