Story: How Trucking Went From One Of The Best Jobs In America To The Worst

I initially responded here because I was mystified by the knee-jerk, defensive reaction of some here to the article that was posted.

There were no "knee-jerk reactions" in here. These things have been hashed and re-hashed for many years in this forum. We've seen all this hype before about "sweat shops" and "indentured servitude."

It is amazing how I work freely of my own accord in this industry, making more money than my friend who is a bank president, and yet I constantly have to see folks like you and Mr. Viscelli pointing out how low down and cruel this industry is to it's people.

I honestly don't know how you guys keep the myths alive so well. Actually I do know how it works. There is so much misunderstanding among drivers as to how to succeed in this business that it creates a culture of collusion among the disgruntled. That keeps them recirculating falsehoods within their own circles of acquaintances so that they actually believe the things they are saying. Once you start believing you are being held back and taken advantage of, then you start to live like that. A person can seldom break that cycle of cynicism once they get themselves trapped in that psychological vortex.

First I would ask rajinder - who just joined and posted on this thread - what drew him to the discussion?

What is the middle class nowadays anyways? On my ACA marketplace policy - the rates/deductibles/OOP go WAY UP with over $20K of income (to subsidize those under $20K). Is $20K now considered "middle class"?

As I opined earlier - $40K for an "entry level job" - with no skills other than what you were taught to get your CDL , is damn good $$ for entry level.

Yes - the article attacks the "lease/op model" - as well it should. And for the same reasons WE ATTACK IT HERE. We don't call those that choose that DUMB - but due to the obvious shortcoming of taking on all the risk, with minimal reward (above that of the company driver) - it's still FOOLISH in our opinions to do so. We still have members that DO CHOOSE to do this - and their reasons are theirs alone - but it's usually not because they think they're "going to get rich" for doing it, or because they haven't done their "due diligence".

I would actually consider a lease purchase of a new unit - going in with a TON OF CASH, and making it on a TWO YEAR BUYOUT - so at least I could take a 2 year old unit with remaining warranty, and plenty of life left on a "reasonable maintenance overhead", and plenty of "residual value" - and go elsewhere with it if I so chose. But the fact remains - as a (current) business owner myself at the present - I would go COMPANY DRIVER for the tax, healthcare and retirement benefits. Much as my EGO would drive me to own my own tractor - that's not why I would get into trucking myself. I want 30 good qtrs of SS payments, and max out a 401K - because I don't want to have to work until I drop dead.

As far as the deregulation of the industry - and the fact that drivers REALLY SHOULD BE making more $$ - or at least have an experience/merit-based pay scale that reflects years in the industry, better than what is out there now - the fact that there are PLENTY OF ROOKIES willing to take the $40K and not complain, I don't see the industry pay scales going up much more than they are (at least for the companies we see here). More "niche market operations" (specialized haul, etc.) pay much more - but a 1 or 2 year rookie isn't going to land that type of gig without way more experience.

What it still comes down to - is trucking as a LIFESTYLE. And while everyone here wouldn't say NO! to more money - the lifestyle agrees with them and is seen as PART OF THE BENEFIT OF TRUCKING - rather than a drawback. Folks that LOVE IT wouldn't go back to a desk job for TWICE THE $$ - and have frequently LEFT CAREERS that pay on that scale, for the life of a trucker.

Rick

(who is still trying to figure out how to dump all my crap, get a better zip code - and get BACK ON THE ROAD)

It turns out, in fact, that Viscelli had spent about 10 years researching the trucking industry prior to writing his book. His research involved, among other things, extensive, formal interviewing of drivers and industry executives, and even included 6 months training and working as an OTR driver for one of the large carriers (this experience, as I suspected, was part of his research, and 6 months in length by design).

Rajinder, assuming he did that much research, and came up with the conclusions he did, then I stand by my original statement...

He is basically trying to make a name for himself as a researcher, but in my opinion, he totally missed the target on this project. That is not necessarily an indictment. This industry is rife with misinformation, and he just happened to fall right into it unknowingly.

Wow! Seems like someone thinks no one should ever complain. That's weird. This nation wouldn't even exist but for a bunch of grumblers that rose up and did something about it. Trucking pay is low. Even yours, mr. old school. $1500 for 80 plus hours (the equivalent of two full time jobs!) while being away from family for weeks at a time and all the other sacrifices you make, just isn't a lot. You might not agree, but just about everyone else does.

I'm a truck driver, and I love my job. Lot's of people who deep down love their jobs complain all the time. I work with drivers making over 90K a year, home every day, great benefits, etc.... that complain about things all the time, if their mouth is moving, they're *****in' about something.

Compliant people don't effect change, complainers do!

First I would ask rajinder - who just joined and posted on this thread - what drew him to the discussion?

I already said. See my first post.

He is basically trying to make a name for himself as a researcher, but in my opinion, he totally missed the target on this project. That is not necessarily an indictment. This industry is rife with misinformation, and he just happened to fall right into it unknowingly.

What? You can't believe that this man might be interested in trying to improve the standard of living for some of his fellow man? That's mighty cynical of you.

What misinformation? Is it misinformation that drivers work extremely long hours, and make tremendous sacrifices for pay that is much lower than it used to be? Is it misinformation that trucking companies use slick advertising and sleazy tactics to lead unsophisticated drivers into rigged lease agreements?

Rajinder claims someone said there are "idiots".

I did a word search (Ctrl-F, find) for that term. It never occurrs in any comment in this topic, and doesn't even show up in either of the linked articles.

And Prof Belzer indeed has written much on the American trucking industry, including that Sweatshop book, published by Oxford University Press, no less. But the accusation of "Sweatshop" doesn't show up here, either. Have you been posting on another forum and got mixed up? Nobody gets away with applying that term to people on this forum.

We all have opinions about a truck drivers job, ranging from "I get paid to do this??" to those who feel OTR was a big mistake for them. So, Mr Rajinder, what argument are you trying to make on this forum?

Old school: "What kind of idiot would let that "become the norm" when they can be turning a really good cash flow as a company driver? This article would have been more helpful, and served a better purpose if it were aimed at the foolish drivers who choose to become lease operators, "

"Sweatshop" was referred to in the Atlantic article that we're all talking about. Old school brought it up in his post. I never used the phrase except in response to old schools comment. I haven't posted on any other site.

I didn't come here to make or start an argument. The OP posted an interesting link which I followed. Someone falsely dismissed the article, claiming there was no real research behind it. I posted the facts about the research and all hell broke loose.

I have been on this forum four over 3 months and have read a ton of threads here the first one being old schools Thread about managing your time and making sure you get your receiver on time or early.I have also, read threads from people who have started their career in trucking who have posted here and don't give it NEARLY the insane reputation of being a hard and grueling job. Not to say that I have not come across the occasional complainers who think that the motor carrier aught to bow down and give in to every damn whimper they have!

I am out of school for just about a week, and to be honest I can't see the hardships that people are talking. For one I work at an hourly pay job and to be honest with you I don't see why they are complaining about having to be so far away from home and not making as much as they should be. For one at least they don't have to spend thousands of dollars on a college degree and trust me I have been in college and you could easily rack up $20,000 for just a year or two of college.

$1500 a week is a heck of a lot more money than I am making now! And yes, it might take a while to get there UNLESS I PUT THE EFFORT TO GET TO THE RECEIVER EARLY!, why? Because it is all performance based which means I can take control of what I earn in a week.

My uncle my cousin my dad and I have all had a CDL. I just got mine. None of my family ever said that driving truck for that kind of pay was bad. I don't know what this guy saying in this article but from reading it sounds like a bunch bull crap coming from a boo sayer which is no good here on TT.

He is basically trying to make a name for himself as a researcher, but in my opinion, he totally missed the target on this project. That is not necessarily an indictment. This industry is rife with misinformation, and he just happened to fall right into it unknowingly.

What? You can't believe that this man might be interested in trying to improve the standard of living for some of his fellow man? That's mighty cynical of you.

What misinformation? Is it misinformation that drivers work extremely long hours, and make tremendous sacrifices for pay that is much lower than it used to be? Is it misinformation that trucking companies use slick advertising and sleazy tactics to lead unsophisticated drivers into rigged lease agreements?

We're really not here to debate whether or not drivers should be paid more - we're all on the same page with that.

We're all on the same page as far as leasing goes - and the article seemed to be mainly an indictment of leasing itself.

The author seemed to try trucking "as a lark" - and then wrote a paper about it as "an expert opinion", without really putting enough time in the industry, to ACTUALLY BE AN EXPERT. The author is a SOCIOLOGIST - not a logistics industry specialist.

I was a sociology grad student trying to understand how long-haul trucking had gone from one of the best blue-collar jobs in the U.S. to an industry one economist said consisted of “sweatshops on wheels.”

He got a job and wrote this as a COLLEGE PAPER. Steve Viscelli is a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Swarthmore College. He is the author of The Big Rig: Trucking and the Decline of the American Dream.

He's not "trying to improve" ANYTHING. He's trying to sell his $30 book and IMPROVE HIS WALLET. It's a "semi-educated view" of an outsider, that spent 6 months driving a truck, for a thesis paper.

The job didn't "turn into the most grueling", did not get any more DIFFICULT (from a work standpoint), and if you look at COLA (Cost Of Living Adjustments) is perhaps the place where it most falls short - by not keeping pace with the cost of living. OTOH - as I keep saying - $40K is a DECENT LIVING in comparison to many other (sic) "unskilled labor positions".

So I really don't know what we're debating here. Nothing has really changed all that much in the industry since he wrote this (and it IS DATED - since he cites a 60 Hour HOS). It appears most of the story is dedicated to "Claudio" anyways.

AND - this is a site where we help people seeking to get into trucking, get up to speed and find their first job. Not a place where folks get all riled up about what they SHOULD BE GETTING PAID - versus what we ARE getting paid. If ANYONE gets into trucking to "get rich" - they are sadly misinformed. But keep in mind - $40K a year - IS RICH to some folks.

Rick

We're really not here to debate whether or not drivers should be paid more - we're all on the same page with that.

We're all on the same page as far as leasing goes - and the article seemed to be mainly an indictment of leasing itself.

The author seemed to try trucking "as a lark" - and then wrote a paper about it as "an expert opinion", without really putting enough time in the industry, to ACTUALLY BE AN EXPERT.

It wasn't a lark. He was already a graduate student that was studying trucking and as part of his research program he trained and worked as an OTR driver for 6 months. He has devoted most of his adult life to studying the trucking industry. He is a recognized expert in his field, as is Professor Belzer who was also mentioned.

You might not want to listen to these guys, but policymakers do. That's good for all of us!