Making it Trucking In Today's Economy

Well, actually you should do what you do in any economy, except now the importance of doing those things are even higher.

1st. Check out trucking companies

Before hiring on with a trucking company, find out what you can about the company. Check to see how the companies reputation is. You don't want to end up getting a job with a company that already has a foot in the grave. This economy isn't for the faint of heart or poor business practices or greedy people (they will have a heart attack). Smaller trucking companies may need to be checked out more thoroughly.

Then, I would be careful about hiring on with a trucking company if they specialize in hauling things that are luxury items. Like suppose its a company that specializes in hauling swimming pools or boats. Not that they won't continue to be around, but how many of them will be needed. Clearly not as may as in a high growth economy so this means if you are new and unproven with no history to wave around you may be of the first to get let go. Companies hauling commodities and other needed freight makes a better choice.

2nd.

Once hired at a company, be responsible and dependable.

Always make your appointments. Leave early so that if something happens you may still make your appointment.
Be proactive, never wait until the last minute to go pick up your load or deliver your load.
Try to keep your log book ready for inspection always.
Do not get speeding tickets.
Practice having a positive attitude dealing with customers as well as the people at your company.
Don't be difficult or unreasonable with your dispatcher. Things will not be perfect in trucking. This is the wrong industry to expect that.
In situations before you react try to look at things from other people perspectives to make sure that the way you FEEL you should react is actually the appropriate reaction.

If you do these things you should be in the best situation that you can put yourself in to keep a job if the company has to let a few drivers go. Trust me, they willlet go of the clowns first.

Also when you and other drivers are in the same location needing to get a load and there are more drivers than there is freight guess who they want to make happiest first?

You guessed it, The best drivers. Makes sense doesn't it. Who would you want to keep happy if it was your company. You can cry fair, unfair all you want, the world is not fair.

But that's another story altogether. That's business and it only makes sense. In bad times a reputation as a good employee is your most valuable asset to make it through. Well, unless your creativity and ability to hustle exceeds the rewards of your 9 to 5. Then that's a different story! (Not talking about illegal either, I mean generally speaking)

If a company tries to operate with a bunch of clowns then they won't last long in business.

More than a few of the companies that won't make it during this crisis will only be because they have clowns for management who has clowns on the payroll sucking the profit of the company by being non productive and undependable.

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