Many people are aware that trucking has one of the highest turnover rates of any industry. There are quite a few fleets out there 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. Typically our best customers are the ones that have been with one company for a couple years and plan to stay there. These drivers have spent enough time in one place so that they know the right people and know how to succeed within that company’s structure.
Like any job, in trucking when you start somewhere new, you do not start at the top. If you went to work for a large corporation you would not expect to be paid and treated the same as people who have been with the company for many years and have more experience than you. The same holds true at a trucking company. The drivers who have the most experience, and have a long history with the company, as well as with the dispatchers, are usually going to get the easiest and highest paying loads. This occurs because every company wants to keep their loyal employees happy.
Even though a new driver might have the same skills as a veteran, the new driver is always going to have to “pay their dues” before they get any preferential treatment from anyone at their new place of employment.
It seems as though many drivers get caught up in “the grass is always greener” mentality. A fellow driver, or recruiter, tells them how well truckers at a certain company are doing. However, they fail to mention that those successes are being achieved by the veteran drivers. Someone might move to that company, not experience that kind of success 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.
My advice would be to thoroughly investigate any company that you are considering working for. Talk to at least one veteran driver at the company, and talk to a newer driver to get a sense of how each group is treated. If you like what you hear from both, then make your move. Once you are at the new company I would do everything possible to stick it out for at least a year, even if things aren’t going quite as you planned right off the bat. This will give everyone a fair amount of time to get to know each other and will give you the best chance to succeed at that company. If it doesn’t work out, your next employer will at least be able to see that you made a decent go of it before you jumped ship.
Please keep these things in mind next time you are contemplating a move.
Joe Hoovestol
General Manager
Lone Mountain Truck Leasing
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