Job Loss for Professional Truck
Drivers
Whether through voluntary or involuntary means, job loss
for professional truck drivers can potentially lead to career loss as
well. We
will discuss them both and provide some tips.
Many drivers remember quite painfully the involuntary
loss of jobs as a result of Arrow Trucking shutting down in December
2009. Being stranded away from home on the job without the means by
which to get back home is a raw deal. There were rumors that the
company was on shaky financial footing and one wonders if listening to
such rumors is wise -- if it prompts drivers to seek employment
elsewhere
and avoid a crisis.
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There is the voluntary
job loss of truckers leaving the
trucking industry by entering other fields or retiring. This can be
positive or negative depending on how they have prepared for it.
Striking out into new territory can be exciting.
Many drivers transition between trucking
companies, as
we have. Mike has driven for numerous trucking companies
over the years. He has left all but his current company
voluntarily.
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One of the most
recent companies Mike drove for overbooked its trucks (hired too many
drivers for the number of trucks it had). This doesn't bode well for
any company not to have enough equipment for its workers. It would be
like hiring too many secretaries for the number of desks in the office.
In such a situation, some drivers get tired of waiting to get into a
truck and go elsewhere.
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As AskTheTrucker.com reports, a combination of CSA 2010
and DAC report may boot some professional truck drivers from their jobs.
There
are definitely some things beyond a trucker's ability to control (like
an accident that is caused by a four-wheeler).
But
there are also some things that are definitely within a trucker's
ability to
control.
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We rarely rant on our site, but we have compiled a list
of some newsworthy actions that
some "professional
drivers" have taken that most likely ended up not only leading to job
loss but also to
one or more of the following: CDL
loss, career loss, financial ruin and jail time. Not engaging in these
actions as a professional driver should be common
sense, but some drivers persisted in doing them anyway!
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If you want to have a
long and prosperous career in trucking, don't do stuff like this:
- Drive under the influence
of
drugs or alcohol DUI - 1, DUI - 2;
- Smuggle drugs
- Transport drugs
http://www.chron.com/default/article/Feds-4M-in-cocaine-seize-in-Pittsburgh-area-bust-1905041.php
(reference removed);
- Smuggle humans;
- Engage in distracted
driving
such as by
- eating with
both hands off the wheel
http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/offbeat/truck-driver-caught-eating-cereal-on-highway-091510
(no longer online)
or
- watching streaming
pornography while driving
http://www.fox8.com/news/wjw-news-brook-park-streaming-porn-murder,0,1514777.story
(reference removed);
- Cross
a railroad
track when a train is coming;
- Run
a truck under a clearly posted low clearance overpass,
tunnel or bridge;
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/r/21709523/detail.html (no longer online)
- Steal fuel; or
- Steal a tractor.
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If you're a professional truck driver, you worked long
and hard to get your CDL. Please work to protect it.
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Money saving tip:
Employers look differently at professional drivers who leave a place of
employment voluntarily versus involuntarily. If you are found at fault
for a violation or crime -- and suffer job loss as a result -- it can
be very difficult to get another truck
driving job. Develop a practice of viewing all of your
actions through the lens of what they could do to your future. In other
words, plan ahead.
Never engage in activities that a four-wheeler is
not supposed to
engage in when driving. Furthermore, go beyond what a four-wheeler is
not allowed to do
and kick up that standard a bit; after all, you are a professional
being paid to drive. Bear in mind the laws and rules for such things
as cell
phone use and texting,
not just from an activity position, but what these
activities can lead to -- an
accident.
Always be on the lookout for potential danger that
could harm you, your truck or the freight you're hauling. Remember to
park as often as possible in secure lots where you and your load will
not be hijacked. Lock your trailer. If you have to drop your trailer,
remember to put a king
pin lock or other security device on it to prevent it from
being stolen. If you as a driver drop an unsecured trailer that is
later stolen, you will most likely lose your job.
Strive to "log as you go" to keep your log book
(or EOBR) honest. On the log books we have used, there is a small line
that indicates that the record is a true and accurate reflection of
what has transpired. If it can be proven that your record is not
accurate, you can be terminated for falsification of logs. Job loss!
Be proactive regarding your truck's maintenance
and any kind of situation that could render it put Out of
Service. At least one trucking
company we know of is strict on this point: if you are put
Out of
Service, you lose your job.
Even nature teaches that there are expansions and
contractions. If you have not yet started, prepare for a contraction (a
time of less financial prosperity or even adversity) by putting
together an emergency
fund. With such a fund in place (and preferably additional
savings), if you ever suffer job loss, you won't be as hard pressed
financially as if you didn't have one.
Remember that CSA
2010 covers a whole lot of
areas and that it would be wise to review them from time to time just
to keep you on your toes.
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from Job Loss for
Professional Truck Drivers to our Truck Driving Jobs
page or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips
home page.
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