Trucking And Job Stability
Many people are aware that trucking has one of the greatest turnover rates of any industry. There are several fleets that actually have a turnover rate over 100% annually. This is due to many drivers only staying at a company for a couple months and then leaving for another place.
When someone applies at Lone Mountain Truck Leasing, we take a good look at their work history and where they are taking the truck once they leave our lot. Generally, our best customers are the ones that have been with one company for a couple years and plan to stay there. These drivers have remained in one place so that they have the business relationships and know how to succeed within that company’s structure.
Just like starting any job where you are new, you generally do not start right at the top of the business. Similar to a large corporation (if you chose to work for one), you would not expect to be offered the same pay or treated the same as those employees who have been with that company much longer, and have gained a significant amount of experience by being there. Even though a trucking company may not be huge, the same facts are true. Generally, the easiest and highest paying loads go to the operator with the most experience, that have proven themselves through a long history with the company. The same applies to the dispatchers in the company. Why does this happen? The trucking company wants to keep their most loyal employees happy.
Before receiving any preferential treatment from anyone at a new place of employment, the new driver is always going to be required to prove themselves, even if their skills rival that of a veteran in the business.
It seems as though many operators get caught up in “the grass is always greener” mentality. A fellow driver, or recruiter, tells them how well truckers at another company are doing. However, they fail to mention that those successes are being achieved by the seasoned drivers. Someone might move to that company, not experience that kind of outcome right away, and move on to another company. This throws the driver into a downward spiral that doesn’t stop until they spend a significant amount of time in one place.
There are preliminary steps you can take to make sure that the company you may be working for fits you. First, look for both veteran and new drivers at the company to talk to. Ask them individually how they are treated to get a how they like where they work. This way, you can compare how they treat the new employees versus the seasoned ones. If both opinions seem positive, perhaps you want to join up with the company. If you do join the company and discover that it is not what you are hoping for, give it a little bit of time to adjust and begin meeting people there, in order to build good working relationships. This will help you increase your chances of success. In about a year, if you find that the job is still not a fit, start looking for other employment. This way, your next employer can see that you are looking to stay at a job for more than a few months. When thinking about your next move in the trucking industry, it would be good for you to keep this information in mind.
Lone Mountain Truck Leasing is today’s premier commercial truck leasing provider. Find out how our semi truck financing can put you in your very own big rid today.
