The Great Lie is that every company values their drivers. This is not entirely not true but it is also not actually as honest at the websites and the recruiters are implying.
Now I am not saying that companies do not appreciate their drivers. They do. And like any industry, there are companies that do a better job then other others at caring for their drivers. Some companies specialize at hiring new drivers/trainee drivers/driving school graduates. These companies generally have less generous pay and benefits packages. They may provide less home time (per month) or require more time spent running in a team truck when you want to run solo. And since they hire 100s of drivers each year - you may appear to be less important to them then you would like.
The more experienced a driver is, the more opportunities open up to them. This includes being higher on the list to get a new truck, higher pay, preferred loads/routes with their existing company. But it also means that other companies that only hire experienced drivers will now want to talk to them about employment.
In all companies, the driver is an important part of the company. But for anyone that has even been a part of any kind of team - it takes a team to win. In high school sports the only solo event was wrestling, however, it was still a team event that required multiple people to come together to win individual matches for the team to take the trophy. Baseball, basketball, volleyball and football clearly required the coordinated efforts of multiple people at the same time. Trucking is a team event.
Even McDonald's requires a team effort with order takers, fry cooks, line cooks and others coming together to get the order out to the customer.
Trucking is no different. Unless it is a one truck company where the owner books their own loads, drives the truck and then processes the paperwork - there will be a team involved. A small company may have one person that handles load scheduling, paying the bills, processing load paperwork to get paid by shipper and paying the drivers. The larger the company, the more specialized each department becomes. Once a company hits 100s or 1,000s trucks, those duties will be entire departments with multiple employees, plus there will be additional departments such as Safety/Compliance, Payroll, Maintenance/Fleet Management and Personnel to name a few.
The Great Lie is not that companies do not value their drivers is less about the driver not being important and more that with so many drivers the driver is just one of many. A lot of companies will say that "you are more then a number". Well, no matter what, you really are a number. An employee number. A truck number. A load number.
You are a part of the total process to provide quality service to the customers. Dispatch must get the load and then determine which driver/truck should haul it. You, as the driver must pick it up and deliver it as specified. Then billing must process the paperwork and collect payment. Payroll must then disperse your cut of the action while accounts payable will pay for your fuel, insurance, truck payments, and other company expenses. Are you important as a driver? YES. But so is dispatch, accounting, sales and the maintenance department.
Many drivers take the Great Lie as being that they are the most important person in the company. That what is important to them is important to everyone else. Get over yourself. You are one person on the team. And you should understand that. Now, that is not to say that you should allow yourself to be pissed on or treated like garbage. But you should understand the bigger picture of working for a larger trucking company. The newer you are to the company (less seniority) and the bigger the company - the less the boss is likely to know your name. [That can be both a disadvantage or an advantage depending on what is going on.]
Oh, and while you are bouncing around looking for the perfect trucking company to work for - there are NONE. That is right - None. There are no perfect trucking companies. Every company has issues. Your responsibility is to find the one that has issues somewhere you don't care about, or at least care the least. If you are younger in good health and with no kids - you might not care if they don't have the best health plan. If you want to haul long haul, look for a company that specializes in long haul rather then work for a company that does a lot of local work and then complain about the lack of 1,000 mile runs. Some companies used automated dispatch systems - but if you are not comfortable selecting you own loads - go to work somewhere else. Want to drive only Peterbilts, skip the ads for companies that state they only use Volvos. Some companies run more weekends then others, so avoid companies that dispatch regularly over the weekend if you want to watch weekend sports. No company is perfect - even if you own it. You will still have shippers, consignees, truck maintenance, drivers, dispatchers and other employees - each with their own personality, their own needs and their own priorities.
If you make it you mindset that the company you will work for is a great place to work and learn to be a team player - you will have a good time at your job. When the company no longer meets your needs (pay package, routes, types or loads, etc.) look for a new company. But select it carefully and make sure what you are giving up is exceeded by what you are getting at the new company.
Happy Trucking - John
This information provided by Truck Stop Report – Free Information on Truck Stops
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