Profile For Pacific Pearl

You're in the best position to find out what's going on between you and your employer. I can tell you that now is not the time to be looking for a driving job. Imagine jumping ship, being promised the moon and finding out you're only working 4-5 hours a day! I know several drivers that has happened to several times. Now they didn't just jump ship - they didn't want to work part-time and couldn't pay their bills on $600/wk. After that happens a few times, good luck getting anyone to seriously consider hiring you.

Some key data points:

Freight volumes in 2024 are about where they were in 2015. Problem is, there are 70,000 more trucks and CDL drivers on the road since 2015. That's just regular CDL holders. Since 2022, our government has seen fit to relax the requirements to communicate in English and issued another 300,000 non-domiciled CDLs to folks who aren't US citizens. While the current administration is working to reinstate the English requirement, they've only taken 1,500 drivers off the road as of July 31st.

Freight volumes in 2025 are trending at 5.6% lower than they were in 2024. While the industry is in one of the most protracted freight recessions on record the ATA is still claiming that there's a, "driver shortage".

We're just at the beginning of a once in a century change - similar to the invention of the steam engine or electricity. Millions of jobs are going away permanently with existing AI technology. If you go to a Wendy's drive thru you're ordering your meal from a computer 70% of the time. College recruiters report that they're hiring 37% fewer graduates this year because the entry-level jobs they were doing are being replaced by AI. Uber drivers are being replaced by autonomous vehicles. Basic data entry, computer programmers, proofreaders, financial analysts, travel agents, translators, tax preparers, entry-level bookkeepers and accounting jobs - all going away. Some estimates are that as much as 30% of the world's jobs will be eliminated.

Hard to see how that many people losing their jobs will increase freight volumes. On the other hand, they will be looking for new jobs. The ATA will continue claiming that there's a, "driver shortage" - luring vulnerable workers into a saturated market. Right now, they're busy lobbying congress to reduce the age for interstate CDL driving to 18 years old!

Those autonomous trucks we've been hearing so much about? They're coming too. One outfit is running trucks from Laredo to Dallas another Dallas to Houston. Their freight volume is negligible today but as they figure out the details every year will see more freight moved that way. Linehaul, the driving you do, is the most vulnerable to this threat. Autonomous trucks are quicker (no breaks) and cheaper (no driver and less expensive insurance). P&D will probably be the last to go. Trucking isn't going away anytime soon, but I don't see many bright spots between here and there. The model T was invented in 1908. Horse-drawn delivery wagons were a common sight in New York City until the 1960's

Things will have to play out for a while yet, maybe a few months to a year, but if they continue to crack down on non-English speaking CDL holders and immigrants, things will swing back in the favor of drivers again.

It'll be a while. The DOT announced that as of July 31st they had placed 1,500 drivers out of service for not being able to communicate in English. Since 2022, they issued 300,000 non-domiciled CDLs, so that's 1/2 of 1%. Just 298,500 to go!

The two big drivers right now are lower freight levels and too many drivers. In 2024, freight levels were about what they were in 2015. The problem is that there are about 70,000 more CDL drivers and trucks on the road today than there were in 2015. You could park 1,400 trucks on the side of the road in every state and still be able to move the available freight.

The figure in the above paragraph is for regular CDLs. There's something called a non-domiciled CDL not included in that number. What's that? That's a CDL issued to someone who doesn't live in the state where the CDL was issued. As a Washington resident I can't just get a CDL in Oregon or Idaho, they'll send me packing back to Washington BUT if I were in the country and NOT a US citizen they can't send me back to Haiti or Ukraine to get a US CDL. Normally, there aren't too many of these because of the pesky must speak English requirement. The previous administration relaxed that requirement and trained a few of these drivers at government expense. How few? Try 300,000 non-domiciled CDLs issued since 2022. Normally, there would be less than a tenth of that many. The new administration has brought back the English proficiency requirement and allows DOT officers to place drivers out of service if they can't communicate in English. They still have a ways to go. As of July 31st, only 1,500 drivers have been placed out of service for this.

Finding a driving job isn't a problem. Finding a full-time driving job is, at least in the PNW. I've heard several stories from drivers who apply for a full-time job, get hired and run 50-60 hours a week for a month. After the month, their manager will take them aside and tell them some silly story why the run they've been doing without issue for the last month is no longer available, but don't worry - you're a good driver, a safe driver and we like having around because you're easy to get a long with - so we've got another run for you. The problem is the new run is only 20-25 hours a week!

I'm also seeing new things in driver job ads. Things like, "no more than 3 employers in the last 2 years" or, "no job hoppers". More, "on call" driving jobs (even for company drivers). One driver told me he was hired by a temp agency for a small outfit that was going to to ramp up from 6 to 100 trucks a year by year end. Two months later the temp agency let him go because the company wasn't paying them.

Your mileage may vary. The most important job is the one you have. Looking around, things are far from normal and won't be getting back to normal any time soon.

I'm wondering what program is considered the best.?

The one that gets you a CDL. There is no Ivy League of trucking schools or training programs. I would recommend the program I went to, but the courts ruled their driving training practices, "predatory" and, "unlawful" so they no longer train drivers.

Some considerations that you may want to think about :

Where's their closest terminal to your home? Your truck will require maintenance from time to time and your dispatcher will usually route you to the terminal closest to your home. If you live nearby it's almost like free home time. I didn't know about this. I live in Washington. My company's closest terminal was in Riverside, CA. My dispatcher would tell me, "Good news - we're sending you in for a PM so you can have a couple of days off". Drivers in the Los Angeles area would get to go home for those days. I'd get to walk to the 7-11.

How long will it take to complete your obligation? It can take anywhere between 8 months and 2 years. My deal was 10 months. I stayed longer because I liked the job but it was good to know that I was working towards my goal and counting the weeks as they went by.

How many terminals does the company have? That gives you more parking options when you've been driving all day and need to shut down at 1 am. My company had 4 terminals, Schneider has dozens. Terminals have showers, wi-fi, laundry and sometimes restaurants. You don't usually have to struggle to find a parking space at a terminal.

What other opportunities does your company offer? My company also did dedicated runs. My dispatcher handled the Caterpillar account so I could fill in for a dedicated driver for Cat and do the same run over and over for weeks instead of wondering how long I was going to sit idle waiting for my next load. Now, as an experienced driver, they have some dedicated accounts near my house so I'm pre-approved if I want to drive on one of their dedicated accounts.

Most rookies just look at the rate of pay. You have to look at the whole package, not just CPM. What's their breakdown pay? Do they have a guaranteed minimum? I've spent weeks broken down (at $39/day!). I've spent many days looking for an empty trailer to drop at my pickup. One time I drove across FIVE states trying to find an empty trailer (at $0).

If I were starting over today, I'd consider:

Veriha - I like their program because they have the highest average starting salary for first year truckers. On average, first-year drivers at Veriha Trucking earn about $77,000. They also receive a weekly minimum pay starting at $900, along with various bonuses and benefits.

Prime - They take great care of their drivers and their terminals have more amenities than most. Many drivers at TT got their start at Prime. One of the better companies, but also one of the pickiest. Many are called, but few are chosen. Not the end of the world if they won't take you - somebody else will.

Good Luck

I got called into the Ridgefield, WA scalehouse last month. The trooper performing the inspection told me that nationwide, 4% of CMV drivers were using a FAKE CDL.

Under 49 CFR § 391.11(b)(2), all U.S.-based CDL holders must be able to speak and understand English well enough to:

Converse with law enforcement

Understand and respond to traffic signs and signals

Complete required reports and paperwork

The law has been on the books since 1937, but largely ignored the last few years.

In April, President Trump signed an executive order (Effective June 25th, 2025) requiring CDL holders to demonstrate English proficiency. If a driver cannot effectively communicate in English during a roadside inspection, they may be placed out of service immediately. Inspectors will assess English proficiency with a brief conversation and may ask about traffic signs or safety instructions.

The determining factor is how old is the DUI? The longer the better. Five years for most companies, but there are a few with shorter waits:

Trucking Companies That Hire Drivers With DUI

It's NEVER a question of automatic vs. manual. It's a question of do you want to drive a NEW truck that's well maintained and pretty clean or do you want to drive a rig that's a decade or more old that has an interior that looks like drug addicts squatted in for a few months. There are some exceptions, where an industry NEEDS manual because of the weight of the loads or some other valid reason, but usually when you hear about a job driving a manual it's because some manager/owner is a lunkhead who looks at it like, "I got it cheap and it's paid for" instead of, "It's cost per mile is going to be higher because of lower mpg and more things breaking on an older truck". In my experience, these are the same folks that will tell you to drive your truck past 3 scales with a flat tire, trailer ABS light or smoke pouring out of your hood to get it fixed at the terminal instead of pulling over and paying for a roadside repair. Now, just because there are fewer drivers WITHOUT a manual restriction and there are more hassles driving an older truck that doesn't mean the jobs where you have to drive a manual pay any more than the jobs where you drive an automatic.

Automatics just started being bought in bulk by the major carriers about a decade ago. I saw one of the first ones CRST bought at their Cedar Rapids terminal. Manuals are definitely in the minority now and won't be coming back anytime soon.

You should contact a driver placement agency. They usually have dozens of customers that need drivers. The nice thing for you is that your relationship is with the agency - not the company. Next year the agency will still need a driver even if the company you drove for last year doesn't.

Centerline Drivers

TransForce

Interesting choices. If I were in your shoes I'd stick with the majors -

LandStar

Mercer Transportation

They both specialize in O/O, so you don't have to compete with company drivers for loads. I see a lot of Mercer drivers on my runs and I've never met an unhappy Mercer driver.

I work for a different dedicated carrier that has an account with Home Depot. You don't deliver to the stores - you deliver to local construction sites. It's flatbed so there's load securement and driver load/unload with a Moffett (a small forklift that winches onto the back of the flatbed). Your location may vary but in the PNW you're often backing into a muddy lot. Depending on the time of day it may be dark and raining so there's more ways to get stuck or hit something.

The intermodal drivers tend to drive very aggressively- second only to log truck drivers. I asked an intermodal driver about that while we were fueling our trucks. He claimed they had to drive that way because that could be the difference between delivering two or three containers in a day. A driver may have to go home early if they didn't have enough hours left to make the next delivery.