Layover.com: Experience, Safety, and Deception

Experience, Safety, and Deception

A number of outstanding questions were sent to me since the last column. Please continue sending questions in, and I will do my best to answer as many as I can. If I don't answer your question in the column there is the possibility that a similar one has already been answered in a previous column, so I encourage reviewing the archives when possible. Thank you for making this column the success that it is.

I have been driving trucks since 1994. I currently hold a valid Class A CDL with Hazmat, Double and Triples. I was laid off from my previous job hauling propane due to our company being outperformed by our competitor. The problem: All of this experience has been local Class B trucks, propane, lumber, produce. I am 41 now and because of a speeding ticket in my own vehicle and not having much experience in a Class A truck, I am having some trouble getting back to work. What do I do now? I have never had a commercial ticket or accident. I want to be home as much as possible as I have three children.

Based on the information provided I think you should be fine. First, why not try to get another job driving a local Class B truck? Are there other companies in your area that need drivers? If you are in a major metropolitan area, my guess is that there is a strong need. Perhaps you could even check with the chief competitor of your last company.

So far, having the CDL has proven to me to be worse than not having one at all. I have a Class A with X endorsement. I have job-hopped over the past five years a little. But the thing that is killing me is the five-year MVR check. Most require only three years. I have an accident that is just about three years old and a speeding ticket for "overÃ¢ÂÂ also about three years old. Because of that combination I have pretty much secured a future of never being able to get a job in trucking. At least, so it seems. I want to get some experience as a tanker driver and it's really looking bleak. Can you help me?

If I have a job history that has me bouncing around a lot, that is going to hurt my chances of getting hired into a good company isn't it? I just didn't have a clue when I was younger. Now that I am older I guess I have to pay for it.

Based on the question I think you have the ability to help yourself. First, with the combination of issues you have, I am wondering why you would job hop and create another red flag for carriers? My first recommendation is that when you find a job -and you will- keep it for a year or two and prove you are safe and willing to commit.

The lack of details about the accident makes it difficult for me to comment but because you are finding difficulty in securing employment, I am assuming it was definitely a chargeable accident and it was your fault. Because it is less than three years ago, carriers will look closely at this and will go back further on your MVR to see what trends might exist.

It may be that you will need to forgo your desire to pull tanker and instead take the first job that is offered to you so you can re-establish yourself as a conscientious and stable driver. If the larger carriers won't offer a position, see if you can locate a smaller carrier. Oftentimes they will take a chance on drivers others consider being too risky.

I am 64 years old coming from the mortgage business (which as you may know is in complete turmoil). I grew up in the transportation business through my father and have always had a desire to drive large trucks. I would like to drive for at least two years until my wife is eligible for social security but in my research of the industry, I have found that there is a lot of deceptive practices by trucking companies, which seems to be the real reason for such high turnover -things like implying pay for actual miles but only paying for shortest; or stating 3,000 miles per week but only delivering less than 2,000; or implying reimbursement for CDL school but actually you are paying for it. I want to drive truck even if I can only make about $3,000 to $4,000 per month, which will net me enough to pay my basic expenses. I'm even willing to work as a team. But if the industry is built on lies and deception, then I am not interested.

What a great question! You have very valid concerns. I can tell you that the vast majority of carriers in the trucking industry do not build their business on lies. Having said that, recruiters are charged with filling trucks and selling their company over their competitors -it is a sales job. This means that, like any sales business, the truth is sometimes stretched a bit or the whole truth is not told. It is incumbent upon the driver to ask the right questions. Ask how many miles on average (not the high end) drivers get, then ask one of their drivers to verify it. Very few carriers pay actual miles, rather they pay hub miles. This is common practice and you either accept it or you don't, but it is what it is.

In all reality, most of the major carriers are just not that different from one another. They haul the same freight to the same locations day after day. One may pay more per mile, but perhaps they offer fewer miles. One may offer more miles, but perhaps they pay slightly less. In the end, the average company driver will run 2,500 to 3,000 miles per week (and it varies every week, this is an average) and the average company driver with one year of experience will earn 38 to 41 cents per mile.

The key to success in this industry, like any industry, is to be well informed and to ask the right questions and to insist upon straightforward and honest answers. Then, always read the fine print (coming from the mortgage industry I am certain you are aware of this). It sounds like you have done your research, so you should be fine.

Drivers' Corner - Ask the Recruiter

Experience, Safety, and Deception