Wow motleycrue you must sure drink alot of purple koolaide or your shirt is really red. Why not get as much pay as we can? Fedex tries to get as much as they can for what they do so why not us. You need to look at yourself as a company and think what would you do as a company. I come to work to make myself money and do a good job. With that being said I want to make as much as I can and don't really care about Fedex, just like they dont really care about me. I am my own company and so is Fedex and at this time we are in a business relationship that is good for both of us, but as in any business relationship each company has to look out for what is best for them.
Great analogy.
Hopefully there will come a time when the majority of truck drivers will come to grips with what they are actually worth. The ATA and these companies have managed to convince the majority of drivers that they have little are no long term value. Similar to the kid flipping burgers at Mickey Ds and as easily replaceable.
Within the next 12 to 24 months it is going to hit the fan. The HWSA and FMCSA is under pressure from the the Hill and public opinion to reign in us 'killer' truck drivers. Regardless of your opinion on the matter it is going to happen.
Why do think there was the implementation of the CSA...on board recorders...video recording devices...and the BMI mess (which has been tabled for the moment)?
It is coming boys and girls. And when it does this job is going to get worse...much worse. Every dick with a badge is going to be your worst enemy...and what is the current state of affairs regarding the working atmosphere these companies hold over us is going to disappear. They will have no choice.
Wages, benefits, and working conditions will rapidly improve. Irrespective of the ATAs drivel, there is now and will continue to be a shortage of qualified drivers. The key word is 'qualified'. There are thousands of CDL holders who have either moved on to other careers or can't meet the criteria of the CSA and/or the company's minimum standards. Those that can are in short number...and the numbers will continue to decline.
The large OTRs know this and have taken measures to deal with it. Private carriers know it as well.
The LTLs are going to be hit hard. They are aware of the problem as well, but too ignorant and self inflated to give it any due.
The LTL industry has had the sole pleasure of being targeted by thousands of drivers seeking employment. They have always paid more than the OTR companies. And for the most part the benefits have been superior as well. The OTRs took advantage of inexperienced drivers for years..and had a large turnover as a result of their policies. But they didn't care...there were replacements readily available.
The Teamsters and the NMFA forced the non-union companies to pay wages and benefits at or near scale in order to keep the unions at bay. It has worked for decades. There were always drivers looking to get into LTL for the money, benefits, retirement, and home time. The LTL biz never had to worry about finding qualified drivers...the pool was huge.
Then along came the Great Recession. These LTL concerns used it as a bully pulpit to over react...cutting wages...raising insurance co-pays...and gutting retirement plans way more than necessary. The Teasmsters and YRC validated the whole lie thru concessions, lay-offs, and closures. However YRC's problems for out paced the problems brought on by the economy. Nonetheless the LTLs used YRC's problems to qualify the abundant reductions in wages and benefits.
If you don't agree, just look at the top five or six carriers in the country. They are still there...the order may have changed but it is still populated by the same companies as before. And while the employees were taken to the woodshed, the CEOs, officers, and BODs of these companies received enormous bonuses...patting themselves on the back for their collective ingenuity.
Now the chickens are coming home to roost. These LTL companies were holding out for the demise of the unions. They were waiting with baited breath to slash wages and benefits to the bone. With little or no threat from the unions or the NMFA it would have worked.
Then came the Comprehensive Safety Analysis and forever changed the rules. It is an entirely different ball game. Not only are the drivers held to accountability but so are the companies...perhaps even more so. The current practice is to fire people if they incur a serious violation, continuing to believe the pool of potential candidates is huge and bottomless. It isn't.
By dismissing drivers who have had unfortunate events (sometimes due to just plain stupidity) these companies can inform the FMCSA they have taken active steps to rectify the problem, therefore hoping to avoid any intervention issues. They don't want the DOT setting up housekeeping on the premises.
These LTL companies have pissed off a lot of drivers...and have garnered a reputation of one to be avoided if possible. They have continued to use every excuse under the sun to drive down the quality of the working environment and as mentioned, convince the drivers they are just a piece of hardware easily replaced.
All that is about to change and change quickly.
If you have good safety record with the right endorsements and a TWIC card you will be able to name your price. Then we will see who ends up holding the short stick.
I already know.
Be safe
Rat
