Comments By Kevin B.

I'm not arguing with you Chris, there definitely is disparity. Individuals who work hard, even risk life and/or limb, should be compensated fairly as you're right, the CEO gets to go home every evening but a driver is out in the thick of it. I was just floating some of what I've heard and been reading. You'd expect the boss to make more, but when it gets extreme you won't get an argument out of me...

You're not to old! I just turned forty-nine myself and am quite likely to pull the trigger on trucking in January. There are many folks who embrace it as a change of career late in life. But if you've got relatives who are truckers, and assuming you've got the time and can support your bills and such while out and you have the time, then give them a call and see if you can go out with them. It'd be an incredible opportunity to get a ride along and see what you'd be in for from picking up the load, to checking your rig, to the drive, to dropping your load off and having to do everything in the rig...

Both Andrey and Auggie69, you're not wrong. Let in just a bit and it festers and grows over time, years, which we're dealing with now. Youth, because we've over time not instilled patriotism for the US into them, they've been instead taught badly by their parents, our educational system and society at large, and now Socialism and Communism are polling better now then they have in years. I just didn't know any other word that sounded like it'd fit. Maybe control? But to purview of government is to make sure everyone plays fair, that everyone has a fair opportunity. The outcome however is left up to the company or the individual and they live or die by the choices they've made and/or make.

Wow! Didn't know I'd touch off such a lively topic when I posted!!! I've kept up with the thread, but haven't had an opportunity to post until now so let me say the following... I believe in the free market, I believe in capitalism, but I'll be the first to agree that even capitalism needs just a pinch of communism in the guise of being planned in select places. What I mean is that we always talk about how a free market would work itself out if it had a problem, if it was confronted with something, but a pinch of (for lack of a better word) communism through gov't telling the market how it's going to work can establish rules that everyone agrees to or is willing to come around to. I'd like to think that a business would treat everyone fairly and equally, but really? I got in the mail the other day another piece of junk mail about refinancing my home to take advantage of lower interest rates (incidentally it's not worth it cause it's only like a tenth or so lower than the rate I have), but I was talking to a friend afterwards about housing and how rules in a capitalist society give everyone a fair opportunity at a mortgage - a fair shot but not necessarily a fair outcome as it depends upon the choices they've made, their credit history, the money they've saved or can raise and how I for example can easily make my mortgage payment because I stuck hard to my budget in relationship to what I'm pulling in every month while someone else may have to scrimp each month because they blew their budget.

I'll agree that CEO's are paid more, much more and yes even to an extreme more than the line level worker. But while I'm not going to defend those CEO's and/or managers that abuse their salary I'm also going to throw this question out there. Doesn't the CEO deserve more? It's the CEO that had to accept the risk of starting the business, has to every day work to get business to keep things going. It's the CEO that has to make the decisions regarding which direction the company goes, what the company is and isn't willing to get involved in and he/she has to make decisions about the people applying to the company and the risk they may do good for the company or not. You, you just drive a truck. If trucking company A fails, you'll simply move on to trucking company B. I've had to have this argument as a night auditor in the hospitality industry with desk clerks paid less, at times much less, than me. Until recently I was an overnight auditor for a major hotel company for some twenty years and when asked (cause you're not supposed to talk about pay but employees always do), I'd have to explain to the wide eyed measly desk clerks it's because the GM has to find someone who'll work overnight, who'll work as a professional even when no one is there to watch them, who'll take the risk of being the only person in the hotel and not have "management" to fall back on when things get tough or they have a question. I can't go, "...let me get my manager to assist you..." at 2am or when I'm dealing with an angry guest, "...oh, you want to speak to my manager? Let me get him..." As an aside it actually caused an uproar when others found our how much more I made then them, I was called into the managers office and sort of read the riot act at the fires he was having to now put out which he explained exactly as I did about the hours and the risk that I accept in working alone while they work with a fully functional hotel. We always offered to have folks work an overnight shift and see how different things are, day/night, but I never had any takers and thus they never got to see exactly "why" I earned more than they did.

Lastly, because the character counter is getting a bit close to 5500, I'll say this about unions and work ethic. I'm sure there are good unions out there, who are fair to their members and the companies they work with. But they if they exist are being drowned out by those who are bad actors. Employers, private and public alike, foolishly believed good times would always be in the future never mind what commonsense would say otherwise. There'll always be those, in a union or not, that'll seek to take advantage of things for personal enrichment, seek to do as little as they have to and yet still get paid and benefited well. I've never been in a union, and I think that will all the rules, regulations, hotlines and such, that largely but not completely unions have gone past their prime. Are they still necessary? You can make the argument they are. You can also make the argument they aren't. What's the saying? One bad apple spoils the bunch... Well whether it's race, gender, corrupt politicians, greedy CEO's, that bad union or that bad employer it's what we hear about because no one's going to be interested in, "...HEADLINE! Union and XYZ Incorporated come to fast and peaceful agreement..."

Work ethic is what you make of it. I have a good work ethic. I show up and work hard, even at jobs I don't like (like the one I have now!) just because that's how I was raised and that's the person I want to be. I've worked alongside folks who won't do things outside their departments, have blinders on and my fav, would always say "...not my job..." I wasn't raised that way by my mom or by the various hotels I've worked for in the past and to work alongside someone like that always ****ed me off cause that's how I wouldn't want to be treated by someone.

So I found this article while reading through a Conservative online publication called, The Federalist. The article in question talks about the budding movement to get the Biden administration, and possibly just the Federal government, to unionize trucking. Now I don't know how exactly government unionizes trucking, that's usually left up to the individuals at a particular company or a larger group of individuals within a particular industry.

Within the article in summary, it starts with a trucker who's living in a bad neighborhood and can barely support himself and his family. After some back story on the movement and what not, the article goes on to talk about the counter point of view that trucking is already more than sufficiently regulated and in fact over regulation is stifling the industry and the costs of which are passed along ultimately to the consumer in the way of higher prices. I think we can all agree that the industry needs some regulation to protect individuals within the industry and the public at large. But am I wrong in saying that at times gov't, even well meaning, sticks their nose in where it doesn't belong? Also part of the counter point is another driver that works hard, is reasonably well off and remarks about how drivers are in fact already a pseudo-union in that with the upheaval in the industry companies have to meet driver's expectations - running good equipment, maintaining that equipment so the company and the driver can always be earning, paying a driver well to begin with and getting that driver loads that will pay, amenities and home time (I threw in the last two). I mean I've yet to pull the trigger and join the industry but if I am to believe the various advertisements that I see, various companies are offering signing bonuses of a few to several thousand dollars, paying nearly a dollar a mile in some respects and they'll tout their benefits and what their trucks have to offer (makes, models and onboard amenities) like it's a contest of who's got the best all just to lure in that driver. All of this they do because they know that if you the driver aren't happy with the company you're working for, you can very easily go somewhere else, in effect a pseudo-union with standards that you demand to be met.

https://thefederalist.com/2021/12/07/unionizing-truckers-will-only-make-the-supply-chain-crisis-worse/

Thanks for the response Anne... I'm certainly not that bodily bad, but I just did recently have surgery on my ankle for bone spurs. Interestingly enough, it would hurt like no other at work but at home it was tolerable if not just fine. But coming up on thirty years, I'm tired of everything being my fault, getting treated well by some but like a servant if not like crap by others... And don't get me started on the pay. I do alright, but the savings aren't really where I'd like them, I see all the advertisements and what I've been told by those I've talked to in the trucking industry and the pay has the potential to be double what I'm making now. I want things, I want to prepare for my old age (just turned 49 on 11/19) and don't want to be my father who's elderly and dependent upon my brother and myself as he has nothing financial what so ever. If it wasn't for my brother and I to supplement his Social Security he'd be homeless. I see trucking as being my own daily boss, for the travel and sure for the money to have my quality of life today and through savings a quality future.

Mark!!! I think we talked already, thanks for chiming in... Yeah I imagine it's not a lifestyle for everyone, but I've never been afraid of working. It can also be a nice way to see the country and make some bank. Plus hospitality which I'm in now is just getting to me and by accounts I'm told, I could stand to more or less be my own daily boss and double my income.

If you don't mind my asking Anne, if you aren't in hospitality anymore what made you get out? I'm thinking of getting out for a number of reasons which I can tell of you'd like but I'm curious about your decisions?

To all those who answered thanks! I'll try calling Schneider again on Monday about what types of freight they'd offer a newbie in my area after graduation. But I agree that I'd not want any newbie driving potentially hazardous chemicals around while still potentially being skittish. Was joking with a friend when I told them, with a dry van if I were to have an accident you'd just close the intersection and maybe watch the truck burn a bit until the fire department got there. But hauling chemicals I'd have an accident and you'd have to evacuate the neighborhood!

I'll also call Raider as well. I figured there's a catch in their somewhere, cause what would be there to prevent you from getting trained and then jumping ship. A driver who came though the hotel I work for now told me of these grants through the Texas Workforce Commission where they'd pay for you to go to school to learn how to drive. I figured maybe they'd apply for such a grant on your behalf and you just sign it over to them or something. I figured somewhere, someone will get paid.

I'm curious if anyone has any knowledge of Raider Express out of Fort Worth, TX and what you might think of them?

I'm likely getting into trucking soon as I don't care for my present employer and am just not feeling it for my industry anymore. I also have a desire to see the country, have always loved trucks and see it as a financial investment for my future (I turn 49 today and want to work towards having a good enough financial nest egg when I can't work in the future) and what I'm doing now isn't financially cutting it.

I had called Schneider after a particularly hard day and was treated very curtly. The only thing they could offer me after presumably graduating their school and getting my CDL would've been hailing chemicals which didn't appeal to me. You'd also think they'd start off a new inexperienced driver on something simple and safe first, not something you'd potentially have to evacuate an area if you had an accident (my sense of humor, new driver Kevin had a fender bender and the neighborhood went boom!)

My second choice was Raider which I emailed and they got back to me quickly. I was curious if anyone had any experience with them?

Training - They'll both send you to school, but Schneider wants a commitment and seeks payback for school if you don't stick around. Also they do paycheck deductions if you do so as to pay for your schooling. They also don't support you during your time schooling. Raider says their school is absolutely free, as I've heard from a friend they bought out a school and made it their own. They'll hire you out of their school and there's no payback.

Trucks - Both run nice enough trucks. I don't know what Schneider runs, Raider runs Volvos I've read. Can't imagine there being a real difference so long as they're automatic and reasonably equipped. I couldn't imagine careing.

Benefits - Schneider has more benefits, but Raider doesn't appear to be a slouch. This site itself says Raider does alright.

Freight - Schneider hauls most everything. Raider does mainly food and particularly refrigerated items meaning reefers. How is sleeping in a cab with a reefer behind you? Ear plugs or noise cancelling headphones?

Does it really matter about yards and such to put into? I mean on map Schneider has more locations. Raider less. But do number of locations really matter? I'd think you'd be more interested putting into a good truck stop and the services offered there vs a bad truck stop as much as a yard your company owns.

Thoughts and advice, thanks I'm advance...