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XPO | The Driver Shortages Continue

Back in my day the industry was fully regulated and heavily unionized and we never had these problems .The drivers were treated fairly , the customers were given fair rates and the companies all made money it was a win win . Maybe we should go back to those days . I think you'll find a lot of happy campers . Maybe regulation might not be such a bad thing . Deregulation don't seem to be the way to go according to all the legitimate complaints posted here . Sometime regulation is a good thing .
 
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I think that pay in the trucking industry isn't only carrier related, it's consumer related as well. Shippers through consumer advertising have conditioned their customers to expect "free shipping" on products they sell. Wayfair is a good example with their logo "Everything Ships for Free." Really? We all know there is no such thing as free shipping. This way of consumer thinking pisses me off because as long as consumers, ie voters believe things should ship for free, we will never be able to achieve the same professional status enjoyed by electricians, carpenters, pipefitters and such. It's like oh "free shipping," that means that shipping has no value and therefore the drivers ship the stuff have no value either. It's BS.
 
ScotchNeat said:
I think that pay in the trucking industry isn't only carrier related, it's consumer related as well. Shippers through consumer advertising have conditioned their customers to expect "free shipping" on products they sell. Wayfair is a good example with their logo "Everything Ships for Free." Really? We all know there is no such thing as free shipping. This way of consumer thinking pisses me off because as long as consumers, ie voters believe things should ship for free, we will never be able to achieve the same professional status enjoyed by electricians, carpenters, pipefitters and such. It's like oh "free shipping," that means that shipping has no value and therefore the drivers ship the stuff have no value either. It's BS.
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I don’t doubt your post,Scotch, but I also believe these big companies,wether amazon,Walmart,Kohl’s,or others have built the so called free shipping into their price,along with discounts received from the trucking companies,or file for discounts at quarter ending periods. Nothing is shipped free. Most consumers,I think have no clue what a single package costs to move via USPS,UPS,or Fedex.
 
I work at Dayton Freight and recently got an email from XPO targeting experienced LTL drivers for their Columbus terminal. I don't know how they got my information, but believe me--they are going out of their way and finding creative ways to beat the bushes for drivers.
 
Pup Driver said:
Back in my day the industry was fully regulated and heavily unionized and we never had these problems .The drivers were treated fairly , the customers were given fair rates and the companies all made money it was a win win . Maybe we should go back to those days . I think you'll find a lot of happy campers . Maybe regulation might not be such a bad thing . Deregulation don't seem to be the way to go according to all the legitimate complaints posted here . Sometime regulation is a good thing .
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and yet the union STILL support the party that signed off on the whole deregulation. Isn't that the party that is for the working man???????
 
coondogg said:
I work at Dayton Freight and recently got an email from XPO targeting experienced LTL drivers for their Columbus terminal. I don't know how they got my information, but believe me--they are going out of their way and finding creative ways to beat the bushes for drivers.
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They'll do just about anything to avoid doing the obvious: raising compensation.
 
coondogg said:
I work at Dayton Freight and recently got an email from XPO targeting experienced LTL drivers for their Columbus terminal. I don't know how they got my information, but believe me--they are going out of their way and finding creative ways to beat the bushes for drivers.
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Curious, how did you answer them?
 
Tao said:
They'll do just about anything to avoid doing the obvious: raising compensation.
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It's about more than just wages, though. I don't know what linehaul pays there but the hourly pay is already a little higher than our guys get. It would take a much more competitive package overall--including things you can't put a dollar value on, like atmosphere and respect--to make anyone even think of jumping ship. For what it's worth DFL is having the same problem in Columbus.

The thing I find funny is when drivers argue there's no real driver shortage, and that any article on the subject is "fake news." It's a consensus, not just in LTL but with truckload carriers as well. We can debate as to the reasons why, but let's all agree that it's a real thing, not some sort of conspiracy.
 
Fly-by-night said:
and yet the union STILL support the party that signed off on the whole deregulation. Isn't that the party that is for the working man???????
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Obviously they feel the alternative would be worst . Look how the alternative pushed through right to work . Now thanks to the alternative nonunion employees must by law receive all union benefits and not pay a dime . Kennedy hated Jimmy Hoffa SR. and Carter was persuaded by him by exploiting Carters ignorance .
 
coondogg said:
It's about more than just wages, though. I don't know what linehaul pays there but the hourly pay is already a little higher than our guys get. It would take a much more competitive package overall--including things you can't put a dollar value on, like atmosphere and respect--to make anyone even think of jumping ship. For what it's worth DFL is having the same problem in Columbus.

The thing I find funny is when drivers argue there's no real driver shortage, and that any article on the subject is "fake news." It's a consensus, not just in LTL but with truckload carriers as well. We can debate as to the reasons why, but let's all agree that it's a real thing, not some sort of conspiracy.
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Personally , when I say the driver shortage is not a real thing , what I mean is that it is a problem created and sustained by trucking companies.

Pay , benefits ( including healthcare and retirement ) and the workplace environment have to make people want to work at any company - even trucking. I posted a story in which the trucking executives were asked would they want their son or daughter to be a truck driver and they overwhelmingly said no.

Word of mouth and personal experience is a motherf-_-_r. When you speak with someone about the job you have and the company you work for it's a 100 times more powerful than any add that company could run. When a place or a profession ( trucking in this case ) gets a bad reputation , people will and do stay away.

All trucking jobs aren't bad , but it can look that way to a woman , a person working a throwaway job with a great schedule , a minority , or a single parent. These jobs are typically geared towards a certain audience.

If these trucking companies want more they will have to do more and pay more.
 
icuicp said:
Personally , when I say the driver shortage is not a real thing , what I mean is that it is a problem created and sustained by trucking companies.

Pay , benefits ( including healthcare and retirement ) and the workplace environment have to make people want to work at any company - even trucking. I posted a story in which the trucking executives were asked would they want their son or daughter to be a truck driver and they overwhelmingly said no.

Word of mouth and personal experience is a motherf-_-_r. When you speak with someone about the job you have and the company you work for it's a 100 times more powerful than any add that company could run. When a place or a profession ( trucking in this case ) gets a bad reputation , people will and do stay away.

All trucking jobs aren't bad , but it can look that way to a woman , a person working a throwaway job with a great schedule , a minority , or a single parent. These jobs are typically geared towards a certain audience.

If these trucking companies want more they will have to do more and pay more.
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One only has to look to the OTR sector as a precursor as whats going on in the ltl industry. What we are seeing has been going on there for 20 + years .
Yes, there is a problem at the executive level with their preconceived notion of what this job is worth and that is not helping any either.
As long as people settle for less this will continue.
 
coondogg said:
I work at Dayton Freight and recently got an email from XPO targeting experienced LTL drivers for their Columbus terminal. I don't know how they got my information, but believe me--they are going out of their way and finding creative ways to beat the bushes for drivers.
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They probably hacked your veterinarian’s computer,and stole your info....
 
coondogg said:
It's about more than just wages, though. I don't know what linehaul pays there but the hourly pay is already a little higher than our guys get. It would take a much more competitive package overall--including things you can't put a dollar value on, like atmosphere and respect--to make anyone even think of jumping ship. For what it's worth DFL is having the same problem in Columbus.

The thing I find funny is when drivers argue there's no real driver shortage, and that any article on the subject is "fake news." It's a consensus, not just in LTL but with truckload carriers as well. We can debate as to the reasons why, but let's all agree that it's a real thing, not some sort of conspiracy.
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Wages certainly play a big part but how about job security, healthcare, dignity and respect and, in my opinion, the most important part is quality of life with your family. These companies can well afford to provide all of these things. Their profits are at an all time high. They could eliminate the driver shortage in 6 months if they provided compensation packages that took all these things into consideration and truly cared for the people who actually do the work. They do all this because we allow it to happen.
 
Hollywoodz said:
Wages certainly play a big part but how about job security, healthcare, dignity and respect and, in my opinion, the most important part is quality of life with your family. These companies can well afford to provide all of these things. Their profits are at an all time high. They could eliminate the driver shortage in 6 months if they provided compensation packages that took all these things into consideration and truly cared for the people who actually do the work. They do all this because we allow it to happen.
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Didn’t you know the top 50 priorities companies live by?
1. Profits
2. Shareholders
3. CEO
50. Drivers
 
LTLIndentured said:
All carriers are doing this bottom feeder thing because wages still aren’t high enough. TL is finally raising wages but still can’t retain. That’s because wages are only part of the problem. Respect and quality of life are overlooked by leadership and not treated as valuable. Until that is also addressed turnover will continue to be high
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TL carriers think paying someone up to,43 cents per mile,”comprehensive benefits”, whatever that means,a new tractor to drive,delivering to grocery warehouses,and having your dog ride with you,is a great living too.....
 
Hollywoodz said:
Wages certainly play a big part but how about job security, healthcare, dignity and respect and, in my opinion, the most important part is quality of life with your family. These companies can well afford to provide all of these things. Their profits are at an all time high. They could eliminate the driver shortage in 6 months if they provided compensation packages that took all these things into consideration and truly cared for the people who actually do the work. They do all this because we allow it to happen.
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Well please explain why did the Teamsters let this happen at there barns. Yes they have some perks like healthcare and some sort of pension, if anything is left when you retire. From what I see in my area all 3 of the union barns are hiring anybody and everybody. The simiple fact is no one what to do this job even though I make more and work less then my neighbor with a college degree.
You all want to say the Teamster have set the standard over the years so now we see what the standard is.
 
Pup Driver said:
Obviously they feel the alternative would be worst . Look how the alternative pushed through right to work . Now thanks to the alternative nonunion employees must by law receive all union benefits and not pay a dime . Kennedy hated Jimmy Hoffa SR. and Carter was persuaded by him by exploiting Carters ignorance .
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Why should someone be forced to pay to an org that they want nothing to do with. btw some states have had right to work for years. The Jauns case proves the point that no can be forced to pay into and org that they don't want to belong to. Before you say that the employee is benefiting from the union well we all benefit from the 2A so I guess we should all pay dues to the NRA then
 
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