Truckers are the backbone of this nation.

[coltle6920]

Unfortunately where there are no drivers there is no gas,food or other necessary goods.Read that there was an estimated 70k shortage of truck drivers. The average age of current drivers is said to be 46.

One of the problems in hiring new drivers is the legalization of marijuana. Federal law prohibits someone who smokes marijuana from getting behind the wheel of an 80k pound vehicle. It's understandable what the consequences could be if involved in an accident. I don't think many of us would knowingly fly in an aircraft where the pilot had a joint with his morning coffee.

Another is the issue of pride. Being a truck driver is an insult to a lot of the younger generations even though seeing the rest of the Country might be the best education they will ever have.

I'm not suggesting that we hoard what we want or need but the days of running to the corner store for just a loaf of bread might be behind us. It just may not be there when you want it.

 

[Eric300]

'Where's Jimmy?'

 

[BigBill]

Most of the transported goods are first moved by train to be transferred to trucks in branched hubs. It's amazing how fast stuff moves coast to coast.
I've seen a trucker leave here on a Saturday afternoon be in Texas Monday morning. They got this transportation thing down.

 

[coltle6920]

It's all about logistics and without trucks nothing gets to it's final destination.

With so many States producing so many products there really isn't the need for coast to coast transportation. There are refineries in numerous states. The same thing goes for farming or meat processing. In most cases delivery is just a few days away no matter what your needs are.

 

[GypsmJim]

I always had respect for professional drivers and was eager to give them the road so they could safely get their cargo to its final destination.

Unfortunately, in recent years my experiences on the interstates has been, should I say, less than happy.

I have witnessed too many unsafe and abhorrent driving by way too many "professional drivers".

"Some" of youse guys need to get your act together. It wasn't this way 40 years ago...

 

[waffles]

Biggest issue I see with trucker recruitment is the constant drumbeat of "self driving tech is going to replace truckers first!". I doubt we're as close as the doom and gloom articles suggest, but if you hear it often enough it doesn't matter.

 

[jbtrucker]

I've been on vacation had two drivers quit and have a trainee to start Tuesday. Company is so desperate they lowered 3 years experience to just 6 months.

 

[coltle6920]

I've been on vacation had two drivers quit and have a trainee to start Tuesday. Company is so desperate they lowered 3 years experience to just 6 months.

Yikes! Good luck with that.

Experience can vary greatly no matter how much time one has on the road. Mountain driving vs OTR vs city. They all have their challenges.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I work on a military installation. There is a truck driving school located there teaching vets how drive trucks. See em driving around everyday. Help is coming.

 

[coltle6920]

Biggest issue I see with trucker recruitment is the constant drumbeat of "self driving tech is going to replace truckers first!". I doubt we're as close as the doom and gloom articles suggest, but if you hear it often enough it doesn't matter.

I see self driving cars long before self driving trucks and not in my lifetime.

With cars if it isn't 100% it wont work. Humans don't work well interacting with artificial intelligence. All it would take is one idiot weaving in and out of traffic to scramble the computers in the self driving vehicles.

 

[coltle6920]

I always had respect for professional drivers and was eager to give them the road so they could safely get their cargo to its final destination.

Unfortunately, in recent years my experiences on the interstates has been, should I say, less than happy.

I have witnessed too many unsafe and abhorrent driving by way too many "professional drivers".

"Some" of youse guys need to get your act together. It wasn't this way 40 years ago...

I don't know who is driving the truck so the least I can do is respect it's size. If I see their turn signal on I let them pull in front of me. It's easier for cars to maneuver in heavy traffic than the big rigs. We don't own the road any more than they do and respect is a twoway street.

I sometimes think that we make them the way they are. Bottom line is we all want to go home to family at the end of the day.

 

[Rudi]

Trains are important. But the trucks get the stuff to us. Bless them.

 

[NYlakesider]

I always had respect for professional drivers and was eager to give them the road so they could safely get their cargo to its final destination.

Unfortunately, in recent years my experiences on the interstates has been, should I say, less than happy.

I have witnessed too many unsafe and abhorrent driving by way too many "professional drivers".

"Some" of youse guys need to get your act together. It wasn't this way 40 years ago...

Me too and I did work as a large CDL truck driver for a few years.
One thing you got to understand way too many of the truck "drivers" on the road today English is not their first language.

We have a well marked low bridge in Glenville NY that gets hit quite regularly.

 

[GypsmJim]

Me too and I did work as a large CDL truck driver for a few years.
One thing you got to understand way too many of the truck "drivers" on the road today English is not their first language.

We have a well marked low bridge in Glenville NY that gets hit quite regularly.

Knowing English is not a prerequisite for proper driving.

If you look at a GPS when driving thru my town, its clear that there is a shortcut to get to the other side without paying a toll. The little side street has a LOW RR bridge. Leading up to the bridge are HUGE yellow signs, red flashing lights and a big 9.6 arrow. Every year 3 or 4 18 wheelers hit the bridge.

I think 9.6 is the same in every language.

 

[NYlakesider]

Knowing English is not a prerequisite for proper driving.

If you look at a GPS when driving thru my town, its clear that there is a shortcut to get to the other side without paying a toll. The little side street has a LOW RR bridge. Leading up to the bridge are HUGE yellow signs, red flashing lights and a big 9.6 arrow. Every year 3 or 4 18 wheelers hit the bridge.

I think 9.6 is the same in every language.

It probably is. Another big fault that allows that bridge to be hit so often is many of the new regime truck drivers get the much cheaper conventional GPS units. They are too cheap to get the dedicated Trucker GPS that has a lot more information available for a higher cost.

 

[Jlpgumbo]

Being a high school tech ed teacher who specializes in transportation & logistics, the movement of goods via air, land and sea is of vital importance to our country. I have been telling my students to go to a tech school instead of the traditional college choice. The Merchant Maritime career choice is a great opportunity to earn fantastic money at a very early age.

 

[Jlpgumbo]

Any mariners out there?
Just had 2 former students graduate from Mass Maritime College and SUNY Maritime with a Marine Transportaion degree.

 

[chief38]

IMHO, trucking items thousands of miles across the Country one trailer at a time is stupidity! A Diesel Train can pull close to 200 rail cars that will hold 400 truck trailers all at the same time. The cost savings on goods shipments would be astronomical!

This would also alleviate many road deaths each year, retreaded tire parts littering the Nations highways that cause accidents, destruction of roads, pollution from ill maintained trucks, highway traffic, etc.

Yes, I understand that would leave some of the drivers unemployed, but there would still be a need for many of them for local deliveries from the local rail depots. The main reason (at least as I see it) this hasn't happened is because of the Unions not allowing it to happen. Rail transportation across the Nation is the most efficient, least polluting, safest and least expensive way as far as I see things. Even if only half of the Country's goods traveled by rail just think how much competition there would be forcing more efficiency and better rates. IMHO competition is GOOD!

 

[pawngal]

IMHO, trucking items thousands of miles across the Country one trailer at a time is stupidity! A Diesel Train can pull close to 200 rail cars that will hold 400 truck trailers all at the same time. The cost savings on goods shipments would be astronomical!

This would also alleviate many road deaths each year, retreaded tire parts littering the Nations highways that cause accidents, destruction of roads, pollution from ill maintained trucks, highway traffic, etc.

Yes, I understand that would leave some of the drivers unemployed, but there would still be a need for many of them for local deliveries from the local rail depots. The main reason (at least as I see it) this hasn't happened is because of the Unions not allowing it to happen. Rail transportation across the Nation is the most efficient, least polluting, safest and least expensive way as far as I see things. Even if only half of the Country's goods traveled by rail just think how much competition there would be forcing more efficiency and better rates. IMHO competition is GOOD!

The railroad infrastructure is in terrible shape. There have been 2 major train derailments in my little corner of Iowa in the past several months. One caused a large portion of a town to be evacuated, those tracks were closed for several weeks afterwards. And just yesterday there was another a short distance away in Minnesota. Most of these have involved tankers carrying hazardous materials. Lots of expensive cleanup involved in these.
Under current conditions, rail transport is not the answer.

 

[JJEH]

I believe OTR truck driver falls into the same category as garbage truck driver, plumber, solid waste management, etc... we are thankful they are here but no one wants to do the job.

 

[Rustyt1953]

My youngest lives 15 minutes away from Rumpke Mountain.

Rumpke Sanitary Landfill - Wikipedia

Rumpke Consolidated has a long waiting list of job applicants as they pay very well and take care of their employees.

Trash Pickup And Recycling Services | Rumpke

The place is massive.

 

[terry_tr6]

will driverless trucks still try to pass when they are only going .005mph faster than the truck they are going to pass only to give up after a couple miles and fall back? If they don't do that I am all for them.

And stop looking at my wife's legs as I pass you! I know you are you perverts, because i would be if I was driving your truck.

 

[Puller]

We have a younger generation that may end up starving themselves to death in the land of plenty.

 

[GypsmJim]

IMHO, trucking items thousands of miles across the Country one trailer at a time is stupidity! A Diesel Train can pull close to 200 rail cars that will hold 400 truck trailers all at the same time. The cost savings on goods shipments would be astronomical!

I used to be employed in a business where all of our factories operated 24 / 7 /365. Downtime was not an option.

Necessarily, we kept raw material inventories at an acceptable level. We were not a JIT business. As such, the cost of inventory was high. Nevertheless, when it needed to be replenished, it needed to be now.

When we scheduled a truck delivery, we scheduled it for a 4 hour window. It HAD to be there then. On rare occasions (like when we got a huge price cut) we ordered shipments by rail. We never knew when they would arrive. It was a good chance we could run out.

On the other end of the spectrum, our customers expected timely deliveries. Rail could not accommodate that.

For us, the extra inventory and warehouse space negated any shipping cost savings.

 

[elca86]

ive been a truck driver for over 34 years and if trucks stop america stops must freight is handle by trucks from manufacturing to distrubution and then to stores not a lot of trains deliver to stores more and more the reason for not having enough drivers are pay and treatment by companys as companys see drivers as disposable believe it or not people dont respect drivers anymore they see them as a hendrence to their daily commute its not as glamorous to people these days everything for drivers is micro managed im glad i will retire when my my cdl renews

 

[meaneyedcatz]

If you have it, a truck brought it.

 

[Chukar60]

I drove truck for several years and enjoyed it. Even went back to it on a short term basis for three years driving harvest trucks for a farmer friend.
Yes Truck drivers are an important part of our food chain and supply chain for all goods.
No they are not the most important. I have no idea how this recent elevation to sainthood for truck drivers got started.
Ever wonder what the truckers would haul if factory workers stopped working or farmers stopped farming? Ever wondered who would load or unload their trucks if the warehouse people quit working? What about the people who produce and distribute the fuel the trucks run on? Or the folks who make their tires or install them.
I have a big appreciation for both long and short haul truck drivers, but see no logic in elevating them to some pedestal above all others in the supply chain. Anyone who is working and a productive and responsible member of society is a blessing.

 

[GaryS]

Since the first of the year we've taken two road trips from MA to SC.

Most of the trip was on Interstates and my wife noticed that there were lots and lots of trucks on the road. In a one minute stretch she counted 50 trucks heading the other way. She never realized before how much material is moved by truck.

She also became fascinated by the sleeper cabs on many of the trucks. Then she looked at the cost of tractors with and without sleepers.

She was amazed at how much they cost to buy. I mentioned that they were also expensive to maintain.

As the OP mentions, the average age of truck drivers is creeping up and a lot of younger people have no interest in a life on the road.

The answer may be self driving trucks, but I think even those are always going to need drivers in the cab just in case.

 

[GaryS]

My son graduated from MMA in 2005. He never wanted to ship out, so his degree is in one of the non marine majors. Ironically, he ended up on the terminal end of the business.

It's a great school and most kids come out of there with job offers no matter what their major. They also have the opportunity to become commissioned officers in the military upon graduation.

Marine Transportation is major for bridge officer. "Deckies" as they are called.

Sorry for the thread drift.

Any mariners out there?
Just had 2 former students graduate from Mass Maritime College and SUNY Maritime with a Marine Transportaion degree.

 

[SMSgt]

Without farmers, truckers will starve to death.

All jobs are relevant. Did no one learn anything from essential/non-essential job classifications?