While the driver turnover rate for medium and small carriers continues its downward trend, the turnover rate for large carriers spiked 13 points, reaching 100% for the first time since 2011.
Chief Economist for the ATA, Bob Costello, was quick to downplay the increase in turnover, saying that “it is just one data point, so it is hard to draw any real conclusions on what is happening with turnover.”
Costello also noted that the high driver turnover rate from the third quarter of 2015 does match up with the high demand for drivers, but small fleets don’t seem to be having as much of an issue hanging on to their drivers. Small fleets with less than $30 million in revenue dropped to a 68% driver turnover rate.
Meanwhile both large and small truckload carriers have much higher turnover rates than LTL carriers who, thanks in large part to more home time, fixed routes, and consistent schedules, only had a 10% driver turnover rate.
“The split in the truckload turnover rates is not unusual, but may be caused by a variety and combination of factors,” claimed Costello. “We may likely have a clearer picture of the driver market once fourth quarter turnover figures are in so we can better analyze any possible trend.”
Source: overdrive, logisticsmgmt, fleetowner, monitordaily, joc
The mega carriers have a large turn over rate because of elogs, speed limiters, low pay and little home time. Nothing like stressing a driver while running freight, not paying him/her much, then leaving them in the truck for a long period of time to think about a career change.
Well said Rufus.
Well your on track…And hit the highlights…LOL…Let me add..Exactly how long do they think a human being is going to stay parked as a no pay bunk rat…I always go back to my age old statement. Trucking went to hell when the truck no longer for a human was a “TOOL” to make money or a living, but became a way to house a human….
Nicely written.
They are all 30 years behind in the cost of living pay !
DOT is worthless in its control whom want only revenue for the state.
Monopoly company’s like Swift etc. … make profit from turnover of drivers and they don’t give a damn ! About what you know or the hardship of not having a life anymore convincing us that it’s all about the miles.
Imagine if we actually got paid what we should so you could actually have a life?
Not being rushed by the contract between the shippers/receivers regarding the customer through fines that the companies put on the shoulders of the driver’s?
The answers are not more regulations against the drivers but to switch it to all those in charge of the load in shipping and receiving which includes the companies that hire the drivers.
Nothing will change if we as drivers remain divided.
It’s pretty simple to know if the driver is negligent, it’s not rocket science.
Thats right. Becouse paper log driver sleeps whenever he starts feelling sleepy. And later he can make his log to look right. But e-log makes you sleep when you dont want to. And makes you drive when you are sleepy as hell and dangerous to other drivers and their passengers on the road.
The main problem is the measly pay and treatment. A driver feels more appreciated in a small company. The big companies don’t mind the turnover. If they did they would simply work on keeping the drivers. But that would mean paying much more for experience, more brains and professionalism. Sure, a monkey can drive a truck, but it takes life and streetsmarts, toughness as well as intelligence and keen spatial awareness to be a good truck driver. The big firms never tried to attract such drivers, because they of their experience, thry know way more than the average dispatch, supervisor and the manager taken all together. A new fresh driver is scared of hid own shadow, doesn’t want to rock the boat, and thus is easy to manipulate, intimidate and cheat. I’m tired of this “turnover” and ” driver shortage” game. I’ve heard it fir the whole 20 years I’ve been driving.
E-Logs. You hit the nail on the head! Nothing safer than forcing a driver to stay awake behind the wheel for 11 hrs with a half hour break.
Swift, JB Hunt, Warner, and Hogan are just some of the more criminal operations in business today.
They use the dedicated accounts to lease tractors and trailers. They also lease the drivers as well. For instance, Walmart has their own drivers and they also have Schneider drivers. The Walmart drivers make 80 grand, the Schneider drivers get 40.
Hogan dedicated charges one rate for their drivers and pays the drivers a small portion of it like an employment agency does.
It’s a very sneaky business practice and the drivers don’t even know it. Hogan drivers get paid over $20,000 dollars less than Save A Lot drivers who do the same job. It’s quite clear what’s being done.
These companies offer their employees almost nothing for being slaved out to these retail giants who love trucking companies like this.
Oh I forgot to mention it’s all completely legal for companies to do these things. Add on abnormally slow trucks, stupid bosses and staff, 12 to 15 hour days 6 days a week for only 40 grand and it’s no wonder why drivers are leaving big criminal trucking companies.
My take on the subject is this: the turnover rate is high mainly because carriers “lie” to their drivers when it comes to home time! They promise to get them home at a specific time, then at the last minute, something happens! This along with “cheap” revenue should be the focus point…
I work for a small local company, we have a total of 83 drivers, and I have been there for just over a year and wouldn’t dare go back to a mega carrier unless it was an absolute last option. I am a mother of 2 and work 11 hours a day 4 days a week and still make over 1000 a week, my health insurance is 34 a week for medical, dental and vision for my family of 3. We have 40 hours of pto time that we can use any time without any issues and I am not micro managed, I am able to due my job with ease. We also have a union. We have paper logs, or the option to use e-logs, no cameras or voice recorders in the truck, and the dispatchers and operations managers are real human beings with families as well. My routes are easy, the longest run is only 226 miles. I plan on staying here as long as possible!
When I worked for swift they would dog me out and treat the drivers like s**t, the driver managers would play games with drivers all the time. When they announced that they would be putting forward facing cameras in the new fleets of trucks, I said that would be the last straw for me. That company was already hard enough to deal with, with all the points you get counting against you. Over speed, hard braking, critical event, over hours, point point point!! I feel free at my current job because I can just drive and there is no point system.
On my 3 days off I can work some overtime if I choose, or I could go to the gym, the doctor, or just stay home and enjoy my backyard. I love being able to cook diner every night and lay in my own bed. I love driving a truck and love the money I make. But these mega carries have to start listening the their drivers or pretty soon they will be going out of business.
I started with Schaffer trucking and although I loved it , getting home was like pulling teeth. I ended up losing my job with them due to a huge mistake but then found a small 20 truck operation. I get home every other day and usually have at least 48 hours off on weekends I’m thankful for my mistake now I also have better insurance with the small company. The only downside is no 401k or profit sharing but that’s my only complaint I’ve been with the small company over 4 years now
I am leased to a small company and love it! You can solve your retirement problem on your own. Find a good investment firm and start your own retirement plan. There are tons of options.
Thanks james. I’ve been looking into that a little but heed to get serious lol
This is my first post. Been driving a year now and I’m quite shocked at the “demand for drivers is high” BS.
If it is such a shortage of drivers then why are some drivers still being paid close to the same rates as drivers 30 years ago?
Not a shortage. Individual companies maybe short manned but the industry isn’t.
The law of supply and demand dictates otherwise. You pay alot more for things that are in short supply but apparently not for truck drivers.
All a lie! As is everything else in this country.
I bet if all the stop driving for a week then pay will change.
However, in my 12 months of driving I can say that about 99% of the drivers wouldn’t do this as they have been conditioned to be slaves who fear for their income.
CDL holders have not realized that they hold this government by the balls. A little squeeze and things change.
Large companies simply treat drivers like a number, they don’t care about their main resource. elogs dont have anything to do with it, they are government mandated. They hire geeks to find loopholes to every federal reg so they can squeeze every minute and mile out of the driver. When a driver tries to be safe, they get angry and starve the driver out, they use the DAC report as a blackball tactic, if the driver needs something repaired on the truck, the company labels them a complainer, they get mad if you tell them you’re tired. And, if you have an accident or incident, your banned from getting another job. So, with that, drivers don’t wait for the inevitable, they move around, quit, etc. Companies don’t care, they have their own students and a stack of applications . Those are some of the reasons large companies have a high driver turnover rate.
E logs aren’t government mandated yet. Check yer facts
10 Dec 2017
With the higher speeds, the limiters are my biggest gripe. Most companies won’t hire me because of my age. They find other reasons to turn me down!
I am 65 this month, with 3 yrs experience 25 yrs ago and 16 mths currently and a friend is 70….we both got hired easily and quickly at two different companies.
I have been thru the CDL “mill” twice now. Once in 1997 and in 2013. Commercial driving is a young man’s game., what with the odd and long hours. There are a few large companies that are worth while to work for. I’ve heard and read many horror stories about many large trucking companies, and consider myself blessed to have worked for Hogan Transport, out of St. Louis, for the two years I put in there. I have a local driving job now, but would go back to Hogan without hesitation.
Hogan Transport runs good equipment, they have a great 24/7/365 shop and plenty of LEGAL miles, and yes, electronic logs. As a new, entry level driver, no one is going to pay overly well. Thats the nature of the “game” in any service industry.
However, for a husband and wife, or other driving team, Hogan has great
opportunities, right out of the gate. Anyone want to team with me…..
While I won’t directly disagree with any of the comments already made, these characteristics of large carriers have been in-place for months, if not years. I think the spike in turnover takes place every time things loosen up from a capacity standpoint. In 2014 and to a lesser extent 2015, it was easier to make money in the industry because there was a driver shortage and rates were through the roof. Now, there is no driver shortage and freight rates have come down. Drivers are sitting more b/c of these market conditions and think the answer is to simply change carriers. In some cases, that may be the answer but some of it is simply that the overall freight market isn’t as good as it has recently been. In this market, I think drivers who want to be top earners will have to be more aggressive and take less home time than they have in the past because there will be more sitting in between loads. That said, I’ll be a happier man when more carriers, shippers and receivers place more value on helping drivers make the most of their time.
It’s just a terrible industry to be in. I think a lot of people think it’s the company but it’s just the industry as a whole. In short truck driving sucks.
100% turnover? “…it is just one data point, so it is hard to draw any real conclusions on what is happening with turnover.”
Lol!
“Small fleets…dropped to a 68% driver turnover rate.”
Well, congrats on that! Of course, in any other industry, this kind of turnover would be cause for panic. But not in trucking!
Gee whiz, no one can figure out what the reason is. It can’t be the pay, right? It certainly has nothing to do with being cooped up in a cozy sleeper cab for weeks on end. Drivers are treated with the highest respect, so that’s not the problem. One thing for sure – it’s not the industry’s fault. Must be something wrong with all these truck drivers.
^1up …exactly what he said LOL
When they keep you out on the road for weeks or run you everyday and make no money then it’s worth being there and time to go! For me I got out after 25 years and I loved driving but with all the new rules and CHP treats truckers like criminals and I never had an accident and only a hand full of tickets and a perfect CSA. Score. But these companies treat you like a number and that sucks! And I quit driving two years ago and it feels great to out of a truck now but I do miss it. I worked in LTL. For one of the biggest.
Lol, I thought “turnover” rate was turning over the trailer! I was like, 100% turnover rate, that would mean everyone is flipping their trailers over around curves. Lol, time for bed!!! I was like, man I haven’t turned my trailer over yet, but I did see couple flipped over in the last month.
Sleep now Dave
*&^% ’em all! I thought trucking would be a great 2nd career. So when I was forced out of my first job at age 55 I tried to get company training as I did not have the 9K wanted by the school I applied to.”We hire mature drivers…” I had an excellent safety record and prior TT experience, though none was “recent verifiable experience” as well as heavy military truck experience, so school would have been pretty easy. Oh well…the TT I drove back in the day had 2 sticks in them…just getting old, I guess.
3,8 million miles, glad I’m done good luck boys I’m the train your following in my Red Dodge toting my 34′ 5th wheel with a 20′ Mako hitched to the rear.
I agree with all this i quit driving truck and got a tow truck driving job with flexable hours a little less money but im home every day abd going back to school gonna get heavy equipment operaters license ans switch mabey if enough do that they will learn to regulate us so much and trucking will go back to what it was or die off and the whole economy will crumble then i can go live in the mountians living off the land like i want too but eather way we will get a few laughs
Why don’t they study LTL carriers. I worked for USF Reddaway years ago. The best company that I ever worked for. I do not have a good reason for quitting; other than stupidity.