Posted: 3 years, 8 months ago
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Friday Short Haul - States push for electric semis, fewer student new-hires, troopers in a truck
But Derek Leathers, Werner’s president, says experienced driver applicants bring with them driving histories that conflict with Werner hiring practices.
He explained that 90 percent of experienced-driver applicants have issues Werner is not comfortable with and, because applications from that particular driver pool have increased, it makes it more difficult for Werner to sift through and hire the best.
Quote of the article.
It is making recruiting so much harder. Every single driver who never read this website, or ignored the advice on this website seems to be applying this year. We get stuck wasting so much time sifting through terrible applications that we can miss a good one. At least I have a job and I'm staying very busy, so I am grateful for that.
But dang man, Leathers is not exaggerating with his 90 percent of experienced drivers who are job searching right now have pretty terrible work histories. I might even say it is 95%+ for us, but we might have different standards than Werner, I'm not sure.
Posted: 3 years, 8 months ago
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I'm sure some of you noticed I didn't mention safety/accidents in there at all. I was just trying to stay as close to the thread topic, but of course, that factors into the prioritization as well. Its just that its not the first step because we haven't verified all of the incidents/violations yet. So work history and experience are the 1st two things we are looking at when we prioritize our applications.
It is a whole 'nother step in the process, once we get everything back. We have to go through and make sure there are not any disqualifying incidents or too many total accidents/violations in the last 1-5 years. Of course, that also eliminates a chunk of those applications, but that is a step further down the line.
Drive Safe!
Posted: 3 years, 8 months ago
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Ok let's chill for a minute and think this through.
Let's start by remembering what our mission is:
- Help people understand the trucking industry and decide if trucking is the right career choice for them
- Teach people what it takes to get their trucking career off to a great start
- Help new drivers develop into top tier drivers
I'm on year 6 as the Recruiting Director at GO Express, so I can tell you first hand about anything regarding the application process through orientation.
Here's what is required to hire a driver (not including any advertisements, job postings, social media, benefits, etc):
• A full 10 year application, signed, with permission to contact all employers within the last 5 years.
• We must contact (usually via, fax, email, or Tenstreet) each company from within the last 5 years and get an Employment verification. Companies are required to respond within 30 days or they risk hearing from the DOT. (remember that part, it will come up later) Even if they are out of business, there is supposed to be someone holding the records for at least 3 years. If we cannot find anyone to verify that employment, and we can document at least 3 good faith attempts to reach that company, we can fill out a huge form and use a "Secondary Verification Method", usually W2/1099's or 1st & Last Paystubs.
• We must contact each company from within the last 3 years to get Accident Information & Drug&Alcohol testing results (this 2nd part may change after January 2023 with the Clearinghouse)
• We must run an MVR for every state in which a driver held a license in from the last 10 years
• We run the PSP Report which lists every DOT interaction with that driver, from inspections to accidents.
• We run the DAC Employment History report - it lists all employers from the last 10 years that subscribed to DAC. (Contrary to popular belief, Its just a simple program with pull down menu answers. There isn't any spot where they can write in their "opinions" about a driver on the DAC report)
• We run a CDLIS+ report- this lists all Licenses in all states that a driver has held.
After all of that, we have to go through everything and make sure the application the driver filled out matches the paperwork perfectly. If we add any employers that the driver 'forgot' about putting on their application, or any tickets/accidents that they didn't list on the application, we have to add them manually, fill out a DOT form, email the driver to re-sign their application, and all before we can continue processing the application.
Applications usually take 3-6 hours of work to process. Some take much longer (the more job changes? The longer it takes. Basically add 30-60 minutes for each job change, and another 30-60 minutes for each company we have to verify that can be described as one of these:
• 1099
• small O/O (who also drives and never answers calls from numbers they don't recognize and doesn't have a fax machine, or is never in the office to fill out the paperwork for "some driver who doesn't even work here anymore")
• Out-Of-Biz/Closed
• "Shady Corrupt Trucking, LLC" (that, if we're being honest, you knew was going to be shady and the deal they offered was too good to be true") that keeps changing names and DOT#'s every couple months to avoid being shutdown by DOT.
The 2-6 hours, that's a cumulative total - almost never done all at once. Its done in 5-10-15 minute chunks as reports and verifications come in.
Lets do that math. I'm an office nerd now, so there are only 40-60 hours during the week. With that being said, I can only seriously process 20-40 applications per week. I get 50-100 Applications per week. So there is a need to be able to quickly and efficiently prioritize which applications to focus on 1st.
Guess which applications and drivers get 1st priority? HINT: It's not the apps that are going to require 10+ hours to finish.
Guess which applications also fall to the bottom of the pile?
The ones where we get a letter like this:
This is just the CRST version of the "non-compete" letter, but any company that has contracts has their own version
(and not all of them call out JB Hunt, lol! ).
BUT... going back to what I asked you to remember about the 30 day deadline, they still have to respond to employment verifications within 30 days like everyone else or they get reported to the DOT.
Unlike every other company that typically responds within 1-7 days, the companies where a driver is still under contract will wait until day 29.9999 to respond. So, as a company trying to prioritize driver apps, that ones that we know are going to take at least 1 month to fully process don't make the top of the pile either.
Just a few more reasons to take that first year or two seriously, and especially if you sign a contract.
Posted: 3 years, 9 months ago
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Truckers say they will refuse to enter cop-defunded cities
So back to facts.
Facts typically aren't that hard to find IF you actually want to find them. There is some truth behind "Ignorance is bliss".
Honest learning is tough. It can be unpleasant. It can make you question yourself and things you believe. But its always better in the long run to have the ability to anchor yourself in reality as often as possible when there is problem solving to be done. If you want to be able to be 'right', if you truly want to be on the side of 'right', you have to seek out facts, no matter how they make you feel. Facts don't take sides, they just... are. If you want to do honest learning about a trucking company, perhaps "XYZtruckingIsaRipoff.com isn't the best choice, and neither is "XYZTruckingCorporateWebsite.com. Even though one of those is gonna probably make you feel really good depending on your bias going into it. It'll tell you exactly what you want to hear, but its not providing any new facts or helping you take in new information.
Everyone has a personal bias. Companies are made up of people who all have personal biases. But good companies, good organizations, good people can recognize this and remove leading statements. They don't try to manipulate or spin reality by adding opinions or removing facts. And we need those types of good people to step up now more than ever. They exist, they are out there, but they are the minority of people, and you have to seek them out. As Robert Frost one said, and as I take completely out of context, sometimes you have to take the road less traveled (by the people you want to be a part of). No matter your affiliations, facts aren’t biased. Intentional disinformation is biased. Assumptions are biased. Even drawing conclusions based on partial information is biased, even if it can’t be helped.
The fact of the matter is, there are a lot of things that we don’t always have all of the facts on because new information being gathered in real time. There are people who may be more knowledgeable in specific areas, but even if that person is unbiased, they can only give you their best ‘educated guess’ or ‘most likely’ result based on their experience until the subject is fully in the past. Situations happening in real time are the most dangerous of all because of that fact. Real time scenarios are when you need to be the best version of you, seeking to educate and learn honestly so that you can make the best choices. Seeking out confirmation bias during these times is detrimental to everyone.
That’s all – I’m not going to try to convince anyone the protesters are rioters and rioters are protesters, or that the Libs are evil or that the Republicans are evil, or that all cops are bad or only some cops are bad, or that no cops are bad.... We are beyond politics right now. This isn't about choosing sides or splitting into teams. We need to do the right thing for our country, and in order to do that, we must figure out what the right thing is, based on what facts we know. We can’t omit facts that contradict our beliefs, we can’t assume facts that aren’t in evidence.
History has its eyes on us right now. You know it, you can feel it. Its not even about 'winning'. Let’s not make this a chapter where we come off as foolish to people reading about this 100 years from now. Let’s not become the folks who burnt witches at the stake because our beliefs blinded us to the facts. The witch burners technically 'won', but how do they look to us now? What is their legacy that they left behind?
Let’s be that bright beacon of idealism that we all believe America should, and can be, for the rest of the world. Let’s set the example that we want future generations to learn from.
LEARN GOOD AND DO GOOD! Drive Safe and Stay Safe.
*("Alternative Facts" is where this administration lost my support, and I lost my ability to respect or trust this administration. The last president did the same thing by indiscriminately killing thousands of people with thousands of drone strikes - including Americans. Its one thing to try to spin opinions, its a whole 'nother ball game to try to justify the purposeful spreading of disinformation. We have to be better, as people, than the examples our government has given us for many decades.
Posted: 3 years, 9 months ago
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Truckers say they will refuse to enter cop-defunded cities
Skip this below if you don't want to read my opinions on 'Facts'
If we are being honest with ourselves, and we want all of this craziness to end, facts are better than opinions. We can all agree on that, right? Facts don't have a political party, facts don't lie, facts* don't have personal agendas. We may not like the facts, we may think the facts are counter-intuitive (Why does a pot of cold water boil faster than a pot of hot water, anyways?), we may greatly dislike what facts seem to imply about some of our own deeply held, personal beliefs, but denying facts is an exercise in futility. We used to say when folks were crazy that they "lost touch with reality", but somehow in 2020, we are all falling victim to the crazy. We all seem to be craving the nice warm hug of an echo chamber, a place where we can hear/read other people echoing our own comforting opinions that we already believe. That is the easy, comfortable thing to do. Everyone does it from time to time.
Sometimes though, we need to get out of our comfort zone and do the hard things. Whether that's fighting for our country on the battlefield, having a tough discussion with an aging parent or rebellious child, or telling someone that you care about that they are doing something wrong. It's never easy, its almost always scary, and it is then when we are truly honest with ourselves about who we are.
Another hard thing to do, and something that we all need to take responsibility for, is honest learning. We are wired to seek out information that seems to confirm what we already believe. (I believe the technical term is "Confirmation Bias"). For example. Take any major carrier in trucking. If you hate that company and think they are terrible, its not that hard to Google up thousands of other drivers with that same opinion to help confirm what you believe. The reason all of us that come here to Trucking Truth is because Brett has set up a wonderful place where we don't let people slide with excuses, justifications, and opinions that are not factually based. We aren't here for eacho chamber BS. We are here because we want the truth. We want the facts. There are many drivers out there that feel like TT or Brett is biased because they can't get their 'fix' of confirmation bias about why it was so unfair that they got fired, or why 'Giant Carrier X' is run by Satan himself. Most people, by default, have the ability to take information, remove the parts they don't like or the parts that make them look bad, and still manage to present it as the whole story. "My dispatcher took away my good load and gave it to one of his buddies because that whole company is terrible and filled with jerks."
Now how often do the Veteran Pros here at TT let uninformed drivers slide with disparaging remarks about a company without the facts to back them up?
Usually, after a few probing questions, we find out "OK Yes, I was late, and so he gave it to the other driver so that load wouldn't be late too, But it was only by 25 minutes and I still could have taken that load and its BS they way they treat me just because I was late 3 times this month...".
We know that never flies around here. We deal in facts and reality, and the reality in trucking is: It's performance based and you (the driver) are the single most important factor in determining your success or failure.
Posted: 3 years, 9 months ago
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Truckers say they will refuse to enter cop-defunded cities
I think doing some research into the crime ridden city of Camden, NJ would be a good follow up to this article. As long as we are actually searching for solutions and trying to make our country better. If we're just going to stick our heads in the sand like ostriches, then it really doesn't matter. But me personally, I'm going to make sure I'm informed because I would like the country to be a better place for my kids and grandkids. I don't think this is a buck we can pass down any longer. One way or another, things are coming to a head. Everyone on both sides of every issue currently facing our nation is reaching their boiling point. We have to step up as Americans and solve this so our children don't have to, and provide an example that our grandchildren can follow. Decisions being made this year are going to outlive all of us. 2020 will be the legacy that we adults will leave behind. If it is a good or bad legacy is up to us...
In any case - Camden, New Jersey. They completely defunded their police and replaced them with a more community law enforcement program. I think there is a great case study in there. Camden is very large, diverse, urban area - much like the cities that are considering "defunding". No matter how you feel about the police, that is information you need to know so you can be informed and not just be another clueless yahoo screaming your opinions into the wind.
Posted: 3 years, 10 months ago
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Prime Inc - Did Not Complete 1st Year
I went to Prime Inc trucking school and obtained my CDL. I had some personal issues so I decided to come off of the road. This was in 2018. I'm trying to find a local driving job in my area. Everywhere I've talked to has asked about where I went to trucking school at and when I tell them I didn't finish my first year so I owe them, they say they don't break contracts.
I can't afford to pay Prime back right now. I'm just curious if anyone else has had success in finding another CDL job while still owing for schooling.
I'd found some forums a long time ago about people saying they didn't have any issues getting on with another company but I can't find them now.
Are there any companies that would offer tuition reimbursement to cover Primes costs?
I know this is for CRST, but this is the letter we (Recruiting, Safety, Application Processing, etc...) get when we try to verify employment and experience for a driver who is still under contract. Prime has something very similar.
They still have to respond within 30 days, but they will wait until day 29.5 to respond with the required Drug & Alcohol testing results and Accident information. That info is required by most carriers before they will make you an offer.
I would do whatever I had to do to get that paid off. Go back to Prime, get a loan to pay them back, whatever you have to do. This will haunt you forever until you finish the contract you promised for the free training.
It sucks, but this is the big boy world and contracts that you sign matter.
Posted: 3 years, 10 months ago
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Friday Short Haul - Reusing morgue reefers, ATRI research priorities, FMCSA HOS declaration
Do hospitals use Reefer trailers to store dead bodies every flu season?Yes. Sue, one of our moderators, was a nurse and she said it's common for morgues to be over-capacity. It's not a sign of anything special.
That is what I found too. Not as rare as it seemed, but haven't found many examples outside of natural disasters or heat waves.
Posted: 3 years, 10 months ago
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Friday Short Haul - Reusing morgue reefers, ATRI research priorities, FMCSA HOS declaration
Do hospitals use Reefer trailers to store dead bodies every flu season? Asking for a friend...
In all seriousness though, that was a sort of sobering mental picture.
But it did get me wondering about how often hospital morgues get full and have to resort to using reefer trailers. I'm going to see what I can Google up, but figured someone here might have an idea or have been involved with that before.
Posted: 3 years, 8 months ago
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Advice to new people, like myself, preparing for the CDL exam. And how I "failed".
The real question is... When was the last time Old School was wrong about something on TruckingTruth?
The answer may be lost to time - I can't remember a single example! Old School is a wealth of knowledge, and I wish there was a way he could more easily spread this among both new and experienced truck drivers. Are all of you spreading the word to your CDL Classmates and Trucking Co-Workers? Save them the stress of major mistakes, Save a career, and potentialy, save a life out on the road - just by bringing truckers to the TRUTH!
(This ornery endorsement was brought to you by Jrod going stir crazy in the office. But its all true!)