Real truckers weigh in on the state of the trucking job market
The tricky trucking job market is putting drivers through the ringer these days – job postings are out there but companies are hesitant to actually hire, according to truckers on the hunt for a driving job.
Drivers on a popular trucking forum with over 200,000 members say that many companies have job postings out on the internet, but are only hiring the most desirable candidates, leaving hoards of average or newer drivers out of luck.
“Is the job economy really this bad?” writes one trucker in search of work.
“Any advice from anyone? I’ve got a little over 2 years experience 1 tanker 1 container, Clean mvr, dac, and no criminal record. Both local didnt even have to interview for them. I was able to be picky in choosing and everything. Now I’ve been applying to everything local even in the bigger city an hour away and I can’t even get a call back for an interview?? Food service, fuel, and even port work which used to always be hiring, but no one anywhere is hiring and the ones that do haven’t replied,” they continued.
“Any advice? This feels unreal to how things were just a year ago.”
is the job economy really this bad?
byu/gurlinatruck inTruckers
“Yes, the job market is like that right now. Companies are being picky on who they hire. Remember that there have been several companies that have closed recently dumping over 50,000 people into an already tight job market. It’s not going to get better for a few more years,” replied one driver.
Based on responses to the post, many drivers are having similar experiences in today’s job market with an apparent truck driver shortage…
“As others have said, Yellow and them going bust hasn’t helped.”
“A lot of companies will hire if you show up.”
“Same in Alaska. You have to be there to get hired.”
“Yes OP. I spent 3 months putting in applications, doing interviews, making phone calls, ect. Clean record, several years experience, safe driver. Finally landed a regional gig with an AFP. Not happy where I’m at, but sticking with it because I know how bad the economy is with the influx of drivers from Yellow….”
Meanwhile, a few other drivers say the trucking jobs in their area are thriving.
“There are tons of trucking jobs where I live in Virginia. Just about everyone is hiring.”
“LTL R+ L carriers driver here. We, literally, just hired and trained SEVEN drivers in the last two months because we are busy as hell in my area. Yes, the economy isn’t good right now but with trucking your job opportunities are always going to be limited by what region you live in. Here in northern Alabama we are busy as can be while other terminals are stagnant or slowing down.”
A few more drivers chimed in to say that, even if you find a job, you might be sitting at home for a while before you can hit the road again.
“I work at a large LTL. Even if we have a spot open, it takes a VERY long time to get through the interview process. I applied in September, I signed my offer letter in December, and I didn’t start until right before Christmas. Its been 10 years, but it’s the same for the new guys coming on.
Also, these local gigs have their own dock to driver programs. We promote from with in before we hire outside. So you have to compete with that.”
“I was laid off from my last gig August 11 and just barely got another job September 27.. 6 weeks of applying to jobs daily and even lower paying jobs.. 17 years experience doing flatbed mainly, dry van and containers.. when i would apply to a job on indeed, literally 24 hours later that job post would show around 100-200 people applied for that job… and I’m in SoCal – riverside.. absolutely nuts…”
If you’ve been searching for a new driving job recently, has your experience been anything close to these experiences?
Best of luck out there, drivers.