Experienced But Can’t Get A Local Position

I am a Driver who Started in 1998. In 2018 my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2020 COVID became known to the masses. I was working locally at that time but the local company was laying off Drivers due to the loosing accounts and work was slow. During the time people were dying everywhere and since my wife’s immune system was still low and on Chemo pills I resolved to just leave trucking for a few seasons. I returned this year to trucking and only to find out Ican’t seem to get any local work in spite of years of experience behind the wheel

“People who have as much time behind the wheel as I have should not have this issue as it like riding a bike you can never forget because it all comes naturally”

I currently have written governors and senators and I have lawsuits underway to fight this kind of injustice perpetrated by Truck insurance agencies and outdated laws that need refining to fit Drivers who face financial problems who are truly experienced who can’t find local work because of time needed time off.

P & C Insurance companies are not to blame alone but old laws that allow the kind of behavior predicted upon trucking companies that cause company compliances to get away with discriminatory action under the guise of those compliances

These compliance Polices are unacceptable when it comes down to Drivers with years of experience and are in need of local work. New laws will allow Carriers to hire Drivers with experience as long as they have ben behind the Wheel within the. Last 7-years and have had at least a 5 years work history prior to preceding the 7 from the time they initially re-entered the industry for work. I believe it is a more current and fair undertaking to give justice to Carriers and to True. experience Drivers in the Trucking Industry.

This undertaking unfortunately may take years to accomplish so the final addendum will be that of Grandfathering Drivers in within a certain timeframe

It’s slow right now man. It’s not just you. Companies are being extra picky right now on who they are hiring. And from what I’ve seen and heard this is especially true with local companies. We’ve had local drivers on here get furloughed this year because of how slow it was.

The reality is, in any industry, if you have an active lawsuit on the scale you have implied here, nobody is willing to take the risk on it.

Beyond local being extremely picky (slow freight, etc etc etc) your experience, while valid, isn't what is considered "recent." Sorry man

I read this post several times. It is almost comical, but it's not. The OP obviously needs local work, and it has to be frustrating to not be able to land a job. It is unfortunate that he doesn't seem to realize the real problem. Most of what he says is out there in the twilight zone. For a guy to attempt changing laws, by writing senators and governors, shows how desperate they are for a local driving job. It also shows how little they understand the business of trucking. You cannot get trucking to bend to your needs - it just doesn't happen.

I have watched trucker behavior for years now. I sometimes see this type of "Super Hero" activity where folks think they will just throw out a bunch of lawsuits and make the trucking industry act right. These folks are more interested in their opinion of how "right" they are. You can be in the right in your own opinion all day, but if you can't get hired then you're not any better off than the bum who doesn't even want a job.

This may be the only comment in the post that made any sense to me...

This undertaking unfortunately may take years to accomplish

When you really want a job in this industry, it is best to just follow the standards and methods the folks who are hiring need you to follow. If you would rather the process take several years and get zero results, then you can follow this guy's methods. Most of us can't afford or enjoy that kind of torture. We would rather just take a refresher course and get in a truck as a new driver. Past experience means very little in this industry. Current, or recent, training and experience are really valuable when it comes to the hiring process.

I am not aware of any laws that make this the reality. The driving force for the way these trucking companies base their hiring practices is accident data. They want current experience or current training. Those are the folks who have proven to be the least likely to cause damages.

Hello Donald. Sorry to hear about your wife’s cancer. I hope it can be gotten under control.

Generally, I have found lawsuits to be counterproductive. In the end, only the lawyers benefit. Also, expecting justice in the court system or from the government is not usually successful. Plus, you are alienating the very companies you would like to find employment with. My understanding is that discrimination in hiring is very difficult to prove in court and that employers have the upper hand unless it is a very blatant case.

Many drivers look for local work with no success. They post on here on a regular basis. Most of them, if they want to drive, bite the bullet and go OTR or regional until a local opportunity comes along. I’m sure that would be tough for you with your wife’s situation, but might be the reality you have to face.

BTW, where are you located? Are there a lot of local driving jobs where you are or are they scarce?