Are trucking companies going to stop hiring? **Truckers please answer**?

Question

Given the current economic condition do you think that major country wide OTR companies like Swift Trans, or even CR England will stop hiring due to fuel costs and overall poor economic conditions? I turn 21 in January 09' and i plan on applying with CR England. Do you think there is still going to be a need to professionals in the trucking industry?

Answer 1

Not a snowball's chance in h*** that the big companies are going to stop hiring :)....don't worry.  

Most of the large trucking companies that hire people straight out of school have greater than a 100% turnover rate.  Part of the reason is because they hire a large number of brand-new drivers who have false hopes or the wrong idea about what to expect out here.....or people who didn't know what they were getting into, therefore they have a LOT of people who quit.  

Also, no trucking company is perfect (and with many, the bigger they are, the less perfect they will be).....and there is simply NO satisfying a lot of drivers!  That's another reason for the high turnover.  

I don't see them laying new railroad beds ;).....trucking is and will likely always be the backbone of our nation's economy.  We're like doctors and nurses and policemen- there's always going to be a need for us.  If nothing else, demand for "rookie" drivers may even increase, as the pay scale is lower for new drivers and as companies feel pressed to save money, they'll want to hire newer drivers for less pay.  Whereas experienced drivers asking for higher pay may have a harder time finding the pay they want.  And I doubt that'll even really happen, honestly.  

Good luck!