THANK ME LATER

Mile Marker#7

This blog will contain the most valuable advice than any other one I have written, or will write in the future. Hopefully you have read the previous 6 blogs leading up to this one. This is where the driver's market is definitely in your favor. The advice I am providing or recommending is available to you, due to lack of upcoming drivers. There are people out there trying to sell you books on this information. I am providing these valuable blogs and experience to you for FREE! You can thank me later......

Back when I got hired by my current employer 13 years ago, landing this kind of job was pretty much by "word of mouth". Companies advertising for drivers was pretty rare back then. I am not Joe-Union-Guy or nothing like that, I am just passing good fortune information to you to better yourself financially as a driver. I just believe drivers should get paid for everything they do. There are very good salaries available with big non-union companies, but you will find out that there are things you will be required to do, in which you will not be compensated for. The hours add up weekly. Here is another one of my personal opinions- I am a firm believer that all of trucking should be Unionized. Drivers should get paid for everything that their employer expects them to do! Non-Union carriers save tons of money on the driver's behalf.


Attention: The big 4 Union companies are now advertising for your service regularly from signs on terminal roofs, in newspapers, to job fairs, etc. Before choosing a school or first job, check out these Union carrier's websites for their own schooling and job opportunities: http://www.myyellow.com/, http://www.usfreightways.com/, http://www.roadway.com/, and http://www.abfs.com/. A couple of these companies have their own schooling, the one's that don't, will follow suit in the near future. Even if you have completed training at a different driving school, these four companies will consider your application for a line-haul driver position. Attending their provided schooling would probably be a plus. If you have any drunk driving charges or a felony, do not waste your time. Most likely, city driving positions will not be available to you, due to lack of experience for that type of work. These opportunities that are available to you now, were unheard of before.


The salaries for Union trucking jobs are very high. You can expect to make $60,000 to $100,000 yearly after 2 years on the job. Every task that you perform, you will be getting paid whether it be by mileage, hourly, or both. I won't mention the $30,000 a year in benefits per driver. I made good wages working for Non-Union carriers, but I found out first hand, the big differences between the two. Back then, I didn't have the industry knowledge that I do now. I highly recommend this for people just starting out, to experienced drivers looking to achieve the highest pay for their services. It only takes 2 years to reach full pay scale and 7 years to be vested in the pension fund. The turn-over rate of drivers is very low. I have never seen anybody leave my terminal in search of greener grass. There is no greener grass, that's why nobody leaves. The wages and the benefits are the best in this line of work. Surprisingly, the last 3 people I helped get started, stayed at big Non-Union companies after schooling. As long as they are happy, I am happy for them. I accomplished my goal by getting their careers on track, and I filled another empty seat.


This is where the "thank me later" comes in. I will be holding my breath waiting for my $40.00 in a Thank You card. (Please see Mile Marker#1 "How'd You Do That" blog for reference to the $40.00) A simple Thank You comment will be sufficient. Pursue your highest wage potential as a professional driver is the best advice I can give you.