Detention time costs trucking industry $1B a year, increases accidents

a reply to: Zaphod58

Wow, you guys deserve a hell of a lot more than that. What ticks me off is that you see the Sports Industry and othes, yeah their entertaining and good at what they do, but they're making what people in your industry and others should be instead of the peanuts you're being handed. When I see Mac Trucks on the highway, or at stops, I understand they've got an important job to do. Transporting Food and Goods to millions of people who would otherwise go without. This system we have going is all wrong and needs a major shift.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: BotheLumberJack

The industry is in trouble. They're losing older drivers, and the younger drivers don't have what it takes. Adjusting for inflation, driver pay is roughly the same as it was in something like 1981. It doesn't pay a damn for us to be out here weeks and months at a time busting our ass, just to get screwed.

While I have to agree- you know me, I'll argue the other side of it just for a little fun- Back in the day...ta da...there wasn't detention time at all unless we were talking days of waiting. You'd wait or they'd find another carrier that will. To a degree that still is the case and largely why the companies aren't always paying the detention time. Fearing the loss of the account.

Increased competition has cut the profit margin down for all. Trucking companies, drivers and owner operators, as well. With healthier profit margins one could afford cutting some slack on occasion for shippers and receivers. Not any more.

Also, the pressure on the distribution centers has gone way up, as well. Same distribution centers, 50% or more outlets than 10-20 years ago. In and out. Way less inventory is maintained. Arrive two hours earlier than your appointment? There's no floor room to unload you. Arrive two hours late? Local trucks are leaving on their runs without your product. Literally no exaggeration on this.

As for me, I turned my first wheel professionally in'76. I turned my last trip Nov. 15. The next day i had worker's comp surgery on my left shoulder. I'm still on workers comp. When it's done, I'm done. Perhaps some Uber to supplement a few days a week. But that's it.

Burnt out. Too much stress. Just like Zaph says. The old farts quitting and the new kids don't know any better.

The industry will survive, however. It just won't be the same. It was the most efficient transportation system in the world. Masters at their profession. Near artisans. Almost extinct.

a reply to: Zaphod58

That doesn't seem too bad then, what are the policies on dropping the load during detention? For example, you know the detention time will be 10 hours, can you drop load and head off for that time?

a reply to: BotheLumberJack

You aren't kidding. You don't want to know what drivers make when they're in training. Heh. We're constantly getting cut off, told we're number one for being in someone's way, hear lawyers talk about how truck drivers are evil and constantly out to kill everyone, and all kinds of other BS. There was an ad taken out a couple years ago by a law firm that compared us to serial killers. What people don't realize is that without trucks, the economy dies. And it dies fast.

a reply to: Vector99

It all depends on the shipper. Most won't let you leave once you're checked in, but some will. Those are few and far between though. A surprising number don't even provide bathrooms for drivers.

a reply to: Zaphod58

But where are the dollar amounts SAVED by very tired or hopped up drivers on drugs to stay awake, and not plowing into people? What is the price of one Dad, Mom, Child not coming home because a driver was driving 23 hours straight to make an extra dollar? Ya thought so, typical ONE-SIDED statistics without all the facts or parameters.

I know at least one company that now swaps trailers instead of the driver waiting at there transshipment hub.

They have yard mules that move the trailers from loading docks to the ready line.

a reply to: Thebuilder

Let me guess, most accidents are caused by trucks, right? And all truck drivers are dirty drug users who only care about making a buck.

The industry has changed radically from the days of drivers running drugged up. I can count on one hand the number of drivers caught driving multiple days straight on drugs, unlike in the past.

a reply to: ANNED

Many shippers, if they have the room, have empty trailers on site, and preload them. Then it's just a matter of dropping the empty we take in, and hooking up to the loaded one. Some do a mix of preloads and live loads.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: toysforadults

And I don't blame them. When I first started driving, I loved this job. Now, I wake up and dread it.

I drove for around 6 years. About 3 with local carriers and 3 for cross country. One memorable event was when I was parked at a Tennessee rest area early one morning to get just a couple of hours sleep before I continued on to my delivery destination just a few miles away. When my alarm clock woke me early that morning, I was so tired I didn't know where I was or even what direction my truck was pointed in.

After 6 years driving I was waiting for a pickup in Chicago and came to the opinion that if that was all life had to offer me I just needed to blow my brains out. that's the day I quit for good and went back to school at the old age of 34.

a reply to: CharlesT

If you're not the right type, this job will get to you fast. My other half and I do well with little interaction with other people, so we've handled it fine, other than dealing with the morons at the company and on the road.