Trucking in an economic recession.
The experts say this recession will be the hardest one to hit the trucking industry in decades. It’s only common sense since we transport goods to be sold to the public. If the public has no money to spend they can’t buy the products we deliver.
Truckers big part of heavy job losses (http://www.todaystrucking.com/news.cfm?intDocID=21172)
Now the question in most driver’s minds is which carriers are doing well.
Here is a list of the top 100 U.S, trucking companies for 2007. (http://www.ttnews.com/tt100/archive/2007/TT100For-Hire8-27.pdf)
Here is a list of the Top 100 Canadian trucking companies for 2008.
(http://www.challenger.com/About/news/TT-Top100-0308.pdf)
I hope these lists will help you find a good solid carrier to find a job at in these economic times.
Times for change.
I feel that for the economy to turn around there will be a need for drastic change to the whole economic and business environment. We have ballooned our credit run economy to the max. Now the bubble has burst. Our last ten years of economic wealth has grown on credit, not cash flow. When hard times hit money talks and “credit” walks. No one has the cash reserves to offset credit limits and negative equities caused by falling prices. If you have negative equity you can’t get credit. Many companies expanded on the basis of positive equity when times were good. If they don’t have the cash reserves they are doomed.
My theory is that industry will have hit rock bottom before they can recover, whether it is cutting back, restructuring or closing and re-building.
The joe public will have to get rid of any extra debt load not needed for everyday survival. Sell secondary properties, recreational equipment and all the extras we really don’t need. Some people might benefit best with a bankruptcy, debt consolidation or consumer proposal. Talk to your creditors for advice on alternative payment plans. Now is the time to become financial savvy.
Some of us may have to seek alternative careers or second jobs. Perhaps now is a good time for re-education through the employment retraining programs or part-time schooling or apprenticeship programs. I am presently working part-time through a Truck Driver Training School to become a driver trainer and safety compliance.
Become a profitable asset.
What does this mean? It means to be the best you can be at what you do to produce a profit for your employer. Give the employer a reason to hire you rather than the other 100 applicants. Learn and apply as much as you can about your job and the industry to make your-self stand out among the majority.
As the economy deepens employers are going to be looking to hire the cream of the crop truckers. Companies are not going to tolerate drivers that cost them money. Now the employers have their pick of the driver pool. This means that the drivers with low levels of essential skills will have a hard time staying employed. This will also limit the quality of the company you work.
So what do companies want and how do drivers upgrade themselves to comply with what is needed in the industry. The CTHRC (Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council) which helps trucking companies with giving their drivers with the essential skills to be a profitable asset to their driver fleet.
Essential Skills
A survey done by the CTHRC has found the majority of drivers are lacking the essential skills required of a professional driver. Here are some links to view the:
Standards for professional drivers (http://www.cthrc.com/site/en/competency-chart-professional-driver-class-1A.php)
Essential skills needs assessment for the trucking industry (http://www.cthrc.com/site/images/Reports_E/EnglishReport.pdf)
These two documents will give you an idea of the need to train our professional drivers to make them a profitable commodity in the industry. You can use them as guidelines to upgrade yourself to comply with the essential skills for the industry. Unfortunately you will most likely have find your own resources and information to educate yourself. That is the way I educated myself and am still learning.
Information Resources
You can find numerous resources for information:
- Driver training Schools- you can take just upgrade classes of your choice.
- Internet- use government sites to gather information.
- D.O.T and Customs Agency- ask questions and learn from the very people that enforce the law.
- Other Drivers- find a seasoned experienced and knowledgeable driver to help you with questions.
Your resources are unlimited in the sense that everyone you must deal with is your teacher. Shippers, receivers, dispatchers, mechanics and customs brokers. Ask these people about their jobs so you know how it affects your job.
Conclusion
Survival of the fittest as they say. You can weather the storm if you adapt to the environment. With a little guidance and a lot of ambition you can do it. I have never been unemployed in 35 years. Never fired from a job and have not seen a slow down in my driving career yet. Good luck and I hope I have shed a little light on these times of gloom.
Tags: Truckingeconom Ydriver
