What's new

ODFL | Why are we still hiring when it's slower than ever?

S

Super-Trucker

TB Lurker
Credits
0
My terminal is still hiring like crazy while none of us city drivers are getting any hours. We're all literally struggling to get our 8 in a day and yet we're still accepting 3 transfers , hiring 5 for the OD driving school to become drivers, and also hiring 5 for P+D. Our line haul drivers that are on the extraboard as well Aren't getting any miles and get sat at home but we're going to put on 7 more! All the dock workers as well are barely getting 8 but at least they're not hiring for that. I don't understand what their logic is at this point in time, and frankly none of us are happy anymore. I do love this company and how we're treated, but nobody can pay their bills anymore.
And I'm talking in the the Chicagoland area. It seems it's the same at all our terminals here in the Chicagoland area including CHI, CWS, DES, MGI, and SCH from what I hear.
 
Last edited:
Why not?

When we were trucking, the Orientation trailer had 20 to 50+ new hires enduring a week of rah rah before they got issued a tractor and a trainer and cut loose.

Fast forward 7 weeks, new hire quit, fired or disclipined for a variety of common problems incidential to new hires in trucking.

Every one of those weeks there were 20 to 50 more new hires for a thousand driver fleet. Quite the turnover. And that was 20 years ago.

30 years ago I was with a fleet of 250ish. in 6 months I was number 32 or so on the senior board. The top 15 were the darling chosen ones and will never leave until they die off.

The company itself was bought out and then ultimately disposed of and the authority destroyed per Fed Register about 2001. And good riddiance. We went through hundreds a year in churning hires.

They always left. Damn few stayed. I know I left also.
 
I see we're putting guys on at damn near top pay too walking in the door. I remember when we had to wait 3 years to get to scale. A lot of our top guys are looking elsewhere because every other freight company in the area is booming. You can make all the money you want. I'd hate to leave, but if things keep going the way they are there's no reason to stay.
 
Super-Trucker said:
I see we're putting guys on at damn near top pay too walking in the door. I remember when we had to wait 3 years to get to scale. A lot of our top guys are looking elsewhere because every other freight company in the area is booming. You can make all the money you want. I'd hate to leave, but if things keep going the way they are there's no reason to stay.
Click to expand...
Don’t know your situation, consider your seniority heading into a recession verses new hire during a recession. 4 dollar gas and 6 dollar diesel is putting a stranglehold on the economy. People only have so much to spend, when their gas bill doubled and increase in food prices there is not much left for non essential items.
 
Super-Trucker said:
My terminal is still hiring like crazy while none of us city drivers are getting any hours. We're all literally struggling to get our 8 in a day and yet we're still accepting 3 transfers , hiring 5 for the OD driving school to become drivers, and also hiring 5 for P+D. Our line haul drivers that are on the extraboard as well Aren't getting any miles and get sat at home but we're going to put on 7 more! All the dock workers as well are barely getting 8 but at least they're not hiring for that. I don't understand what their logic is at this point in time, and frankly none of us are happy anymore. I do love this company and how we're treated, but nobody can pay their bills anymore.
And I'm talking in the the Chicagoland area. It seems it's the same at all our terminals here in the Chicagoland area including CHI, CWS, DES, MGI, and SCH from what I hear.
Click to expand...
I would say they are trying to eliminate any OT, and have replacements if any existing employees decide to leave.
 
I remember the Gas Company eliminating my Da's Position. (Not Job, Position that he held for years) Why? He was just too expensive in salary terms. The Company was interested in cost cutting and they eliminated a entire Drafting Floor of like dozens in favor of the then newer computer stuff which was cheaper in the long run manned by interns from school at little to no cost.

My spouse, she was a big pooh bah at a Government Position, ultimately her entire department was eliminated by a computer. The original office space is now a overflow waiting area for those too stupid to use computers and are in need of hand holding. (Until they die off.)

I suppose the building will be replaced by a freaking app on your smart phone and some sort of tracking in real time years from now.

If I was a Suit on a trucking company of whatever size and happened to pay a Senior Driver 50 dollars a hour or whatever inflated costs per Contracts, I would do whatever I can to eliminate them legally and get a herd of fresh students to churn through at minimum wage and no benefits.

We have been hearing alot lately of tendered loads, tenders reject, accepted, crack spread fuels and so on within this Industry here and elsewhere.

Forget all that.

You want a expensive trucker in that tractor trailer or do you want to go through 50 cheap to no cost new hires every so often in that same tractor. Thats the quiet part unspoken.
 
johnnybtruckin said:
our hub is full of unnecessary drivers...some scheduled runs get canceled occasionally but wild guys have to either call central 3 4 times a week and beg for work or sit at home. local dispatch doesn't even want to bother contacting central to find work for their people
Click to expand...
I thought our terminal becoming a "mini-hub" would help. Sounded good and all but we still have our trainees that completed the driving program still working the dock. Countless people have quit. I don't blame them. We had a driver get sent home 2 hours into his shift today while drivers from another terminal took our work. And we called 6 guys and told them to stay home! None of this makes sense to any of us. BUT LETS KEEP HIRING ANYWAYS! Lol! Dayton isn't looking so bad next door especially with their new pay rate as of last week. They say the grass isn't greener on the other side but I can see it right through our fence and it don't look bad from here LOL
 
Come on over bud . There was already 3 of y'all that finish the interviews last week . I can't believe y'all came in wearing your OD uniforms . You on the wrong side of town partner:bat::clapping:
 
Why are they hiring? You know why to get rid of the guys with 4 to 5 weeks vacation and higher medical insurance costs fire them over some minor infraction no union to help them.
 
Super-Trucker said:
I thought our terminal becoming a "mini-hub" would help. Sounded good and all but we still have our trainees that completed the driving program still working the dock. Countless people have quit. I don't blame them. We had a driver get sent home 2 hours into his shift today while drivers from another terminal took our work. And we called 6 guys and told them to stay home! None of this makes sense to any of us. BUT LETS KEEP HIRING ANYWAYS! Lol! Dayton isn't looking so bad next door especially with their new pay rate as of last week. They say the grass isn't greener on the other side but I can see it right through our fence and it don't look bad from here LOL
Click to expand...
And if the grass is too high, call Billo, OD Mower of the Year, based out of the PNW.
 
Super-Trucker said:
My terminal is still hiring like crazy while none of us city drivers are getting any hours. We're all literally struggling to get our 8 in a day and yet we're still accepting 3 transfers , hiring 5 for the OD driving school to become drivers, and also hiring 5 for P+D. Our line haul drivers that are on the extraboard as well Aren't getting any miles and get sat at home but we're going to put on 7 more! All the dock workers as well are barely getting 8 but at least they're not hiring for that. I don't understand what their logic is at this point in time, and frankly none of us are happy anymore. I do love this company and how we're treated, but nobody can pay their bills anymore.
And I'm talking in the the Chicagoland area. It seems it's the same at all our terminals here in the Chicagoland area including CHI, CWS, DES, MGI, and SCH from what I hear.
Click to expand...
I said the same thing driver when I tried warning someone but was mocked instead by a daytime line driver so high in seniority no slow down be noticed by him,,,
 
Oddriverrr said:
I heard we got one more terminal coming up in Elgin. Be ready to work less hours. Maybe OD is getting ready to pay that OT after 8hrs?!
Click to expand...
greensboro.com

Truckers hope bill brings overtime pay

Truck driver Tilden Curl says there’s an adage in the trucking industry: If the wheels aren’t turning, you aren’t earning.
greensboro.com greensboro.com

You may be right .
Oddriverrr said:
I heard we got one more terminal coming up in Elgin. Be ready to work less hours. Maybe OD is getting ready to pay that OT after 8hrs?!
Click to expand...
You might be right bud . Check this article out .
greensboro.com

Truckers hope bill brings overtime pay

Truck driver Tilden Curl says there’s an adage in the trucking industry: If the wheels aren’t turning, you aren’t earning.
greensboro.com greensboro.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top