Harry Monk:
When there was a shortage of limes in the US in 2014 due to a bacteria ravaging crops in Mexico, where 98% of US bought limes are grown, the wholesale cost of a box of 200 limes went from $30 to $200 in less than a year. If there is a shortage of truck drivers in the US, then why haven’t wages done the same?
The first trucking company I drove for here started me at 25c an hour which is pitiful to say the least, they were a good company and from what I know by keeping in touch with the drivers, still are, my pay rose every year and so did the vacation allowance but I could not afford to stay with them, after 4 years my rate had gone up to 30c a mile and waiting time pay, unloading pay and the only company I have heard of in the USA that pays night out money. From what I gather the rates there have hardly moved in the 12 years since I left.
newmercman:
Harry, I’ve found the old bill and DOT are pretty decent in my experience with them, even the one who nicked me for speeding a couple of years ago, very pleasant and she was as fit as a butcher’s dog, the cop uniform, especially the pants, really highlighted her best features. The accent helps, they think we sound posh and sophisticated and I don’t bother correcting them.
I’m sure there are ways to get into the USA, for a young single bloke that wanted a gap year kind of thing, I would highly recommend it, you’ll break even at worst, but as a career move it would be an extremely bad choice.
Sent from my SM-T805W using Tapatalk
There was that working for farmers on harvest work permit thing at one point don’t know if that’s still going or you could marry an American like skippy did
Pat Hasler:
The shortage is entirely due to the disgustingly low pay and conditions truck drivers here have to put up with. Large companies such as Swifts, Hunts and Schneiders take on young kids and give them a couple of weeks training, then send them out on the roads for an amazingly low pay rate of 25 cents a mile, each time they sit at a truck stop of a customer waiting for their next load they are not getting a cent, drivers can be waiting for days on end and not get paid a cent. I have seen so many posts on trucknet from those who dream of driving in the USA, it is probably the worst thing anyone can do, no job security, very poor pay and conditions, most companies will not pay you a cent in vacation pay for at least a year, Schneiders will never pay any form of vacation or holiday pay. If your are sick you at on your own, that company will just desert you where you are and forget you.
I am one of the lucky one’s, I work for a truly remarkable company that pay’s for everything.
…Do tell more!
The only reason that duff companies get away with what they do - is the ignorance of other drivers who don’t know any better, and develop this “Streets paved with gold” approach to something that is somewhere in between “crap” and “outstanding” in the spectrum of driverworld.
I have been there in the USA recently on holidays and got the magazines from the truck stops with all the job advertisements and the offers for starting up on your own , buying your truck etc , it reads the same story as the uk same crap
Plenty of drivers , just not prepared to work on the rates that’s been offered,
Pat where did it go wrong there as always thought it was heavily unionised how did they manage to break or escape the unions, I have absolutely no knowledge how it works over there , but I read up a little on the teamsters union and watched the film on it and the story of jimmy Hoffa
Pat also for me a single guy with no commitments bills etc I wouldn’t mind to do a few months driving over there and see the country since I been driving in most other countries is that possible to get a job for a few months ,surely if the Mexicans can do it someone from the uk can do it or am I just dreaming
Remember “F.I.S.T.” - the Federation of Interstate Truckers?
The trouble with our emasculated Unions in real life - is that the average worker would now rather be fisted by Caligula, than join a Union with clarity and clout. .
nedflanders:
where did it go wrong there as always thought it was heavily unionised how did they manage to break or escape the unions, I have absolutely no knowledge how it works over there , but I read up a little on the teamsters union and watched the film on it and the story of jimmy Hoffa
The basics of solidarity are the same wherever it is.
Who really gained from Hoffa’s removal from the scene ?.
Geoffo:
I wouldn’t want to drive a truck in the US. Even though I’m allowed to live & work there.
I probably would have liked to when I was younger and had fewer family obligations and when the job was better paid and somewhat more heroic than it is now, not least because of the new and different places to be visited. Nowadays I don’t like driving trucks anywhere.
nedflanders:
I have been there in the USA recently on holidays and got the magazines from the truck stops with all the job advertisements and the offers for starting up on your own , buying your truck etc , it reads the same story as the uk same crap
Plenty of drivers , just not prepared to work on the rates that’s been offered,
Pat where did it go wrong there as always thought it was heavily unionised how did they manage to break or escape the unions, I have absolutely no knowledge how it works over there , but I read up a little on the teamsters union and watched the film on it and the story of jimmy Hoffa
Pat also for me a single guy with no commitments bills etc I wouldn’t mind to do a few months driving over there and see the country since I been driving in most other countries is that possible to get a job for a few months ,surely if the Mexicans can do it someone from the uk can do it or am I just dreaming
Sorry to say that the chances of getting even a few months of on the road experience over here are very remote. You really do need to have legal residence or a work visa and truck driving is considered an unskilled profession, no trucking company can get you a work permit. Even if you managed to get just such permission you would ten need to take a CDL A test, the first company I applied with when I moved here was ‘Covenant transport’ they actually asked for $7,000 for training and test
Obviously I told them to forget it, then I tried a training school who wanted $750 for a couple of days training and then the test, also in order to work you would need a social security number, I got my first SS number as a visitor because I was staying here for 3 months and the UK driving licence only covers tourists for 30 days, in order to get a car licence I went to the SS office and told them I needed a licence, they issued me a SS number but the card had ‘NOT FOR WORK IN THE USA’ stamped across the front. As for the Mexicans doing it, that’s a load of rubbish mate, even Mexicans have to be here legally just as I do, they can however live in Mexico nd drive into the USA to deliver, just as Canadians can and vice versa, I am allowed to drive up into Canada or Mexico, it’s no different to you crossing into Europe.
In answer to the union question, they are nothing less than mob run mostly, they have a seniority system for drivers here, you sit home and wait to be offered a load, the more senior union members will be offered the best work, if they turn it down the job will be offered to you, union members still don’t get paid for waiting to get a load.
If you really want to drive across the USA, don’t even bother trying the truck driving bit, take a months holiday, fly over and rent a car, you will actually have time to see what you came to see.
nedflanders:
I have been there in the USA recently on holidays and got the magazines from the truck stops with all the job advertisements and the offers for starting up on your own , buying your truck etc , it reads the same story as the uk same crap
Plenty of drivers , just not prepared to work on the rates that’s been offered,
Pat where did it go wrong there as always thought it was heavily unionised how did they manage to break or escape the unions, I have absolutely no knowledge how it works over there , but I read up a little on the teamsters union and watched the film on it and the story of jimmy Hoffa
Pat also for me a single guy with no commitments bills etc I wouldn’t mind to do a few months driving over there and see the country since I been driving in most other countries is that possible to get a job for a few months ,surely if the Mexicans can do it someone from the uk can do it or am I just dreaming
Sorry to say that the chances of getting even a few months of on the road experience over here are very remote. You really do need to have legal residence or a work visa and truck driving is considered an unskilled profession, no trucking company can get you a work permit. Even if you managed to get just such permission you would ten need to take a CDL A test, the first company I applied with when I moved here was ‘Covenant transport’ they actually asked for $7,000 for training and test
Obviously I told them to forget it, then I tried a training school who wanted $750 for a couple of days training and then the test, also in order to work you would need a social security number, I got my first SS number as a visitor because I was staying here for 3 months and the UK driving licence only covers tourists for 30 days, in order to get a car licence I went to the SS office and told them I needed a licence, they issued me a SS number but the card had ‘NOT FOR WORK IN THE USA’ stamped across the front. As for the Mexicans doing it, that’s a load of rubbish mate, even Mexicans have to be here legally just as I do, they can however live in Mexico nd drive into the USA to deliver, just as Canadians can and vice versa, I am allowed to drive up into Canada or Mexico, it’s no different to you crossing into Europe.
In answer to the union question, they are nothing less than mob run mostly, they have a seniority system for drivers here, you sit home and wait to be offered a load, the more senior union members will be offered the best work, if they turn it down the job will be offered to you, union members still don’t get paid for waiting to get a load.
If you really want to drive across the USA, don’t even bother trying the truck driving bit, take a months holiday, fly over and rent a car, you will actually have time to see what you came to see.
Respectfully - can I ask: if it’s so bad why are you still there?
He is still there as he’s a big fan of Donald Trump.
Oh and Mexican operators can only run into the free areas just inside the border, there was a pilot programme that allowed them to run into the US proper, but it had hardly any takers. Less than 10 trucks in total I believe.
newmercman:
Mexican operators can only run into the free areas just inside the border, there was a pilot programme that allowed them to run into the US proper, but it had hardly any takers. Less than 10 trucks in total I believe.
Going by the letter of the rules over there,theoretically there seems to be nothing stopping Mexican trucks running Mexico-Canada-Mexico traffic.Or even third country US-Canada-US traffic or Canadian operators running US-Mexico-US traffic just like East Euros run inter West Euro traffic in Euroland ?.
The reality seems different though with Canadian operators dropping Canada-Mexico traffic at the US/Mexican border and third country operations being considered as no different to cabotage ?.Whether it’s a Mexican operator hauling a US origin load to Canada or vice versa or a Canadian operator hauling a US origin load to Mexico and vice versa.
If only I could have got a UK-Canada-US-Canada-UK TIR operation up and running with a GB reg truck it would have done the DOT’s and US customs’ head in.
It’s just silly that we could run UK reg trucks throughout Russia and Asia but no chance in North America.
newmercman:
Mexican operators can only run into the free areas just inside the border, there was a pilot programme that allowed them to run into the US proper, but it had hardly any takers. Less than 10 trucks in total I believe.
Going by the letter of the rules over there,theoretically there seems to be nothing stopping Mexican trucks running Mexico-Canada-Mexico traffic.Or even third country US-Canada-US traffic or Canadian operators running US-Mexico-US traffic just like East Euros run inter West Euro traffic in Euroland ?.
The reality seems different though with Canadian operators dropping Canada-Mexico traffic at the US/Mexican border and third country operations being considered as no different to cabotage ?.Whether it’s a Mexican operator hauling a US origin load to Canada or vice versa or a Canadian operator hauling a US origin load to Mexico and vice versa.
If only I could have got a UK-Canada-US-Canada-UK TIR operation up and running with a GB reg truck it would have done the DOT’s and US customs’ head in.
It’s just silly that we could run UK reg trucks throughout Russia and Asia but no chance in North America.
I would hazard a guess that the big ole expanse of water between the UK AND USA/Canada is the main spanner in the works of making it worth while taking a vehicle over
My mate did do some truck driving as part of a harvest crew in the USA and also did the same thing in Australia. From what he said it is a lot harder to get into the states and i think the visa was only for a few months? As said above a good thing to try when your young but not much chance of making it a permanent thing.
I did look into going to Canada a few years back but I gave up in the end. The ever changing rules and completely different requirements based on the different Provinces made my head spin. Being from Britain mean’t it was pretty much a non-starter. I was told that 10-15 years ago they were begging UK drivers to go over, now the company in question would have to pay a large fee and then justify to why they are hiring you over a Canadian. Since Truck driver isn’t a skilled industry then it doesn’t get the support from the government like other industries, plus why would you as a company even bother to hire from Britain when you can get people from these 3rd world countries that are allowed to seek work in first world countries no questions asked.
The TM of the new lot I’m joining got to drive for a touring company Stateside for a year, that is something I’d like to do but I’m now done with general haulage, done with working for peanuts. I don’t want to drive a truck that is 20 years behind European models, being paid peanuts with no night out money, no waiting money, no sick pay or leave, being worked to the bone etc.
Sure, the allure of driving a big American big rig, in beautiful scenery is still strong but at the moment, I can get my fix on American Truck Simulator.
Carryfast:
It’s just silly that we could run UK reg trucks throughout Russia and Asia but no chance in North America.
I would hazard a guess that the big ole expanse of water between the UK AND USA/Canada is the main spanner in the works of making it worth while taking a vehicle over
The big expanse of water is less than the big expanse of land between here and Saudi or across Russia etc.With the difference that the truck isn’t using any of that cheap US/Canadian fuel or wearing anything out while it’s sitting on a boat for around a week and the driver can use that as time off while it’s in transit,if not accompany it.
It wasn’t that which stopped me.It was the two problems that the shipping lines won’t match ro ro rates for a truck with container rates and you can’t get a DOT compliant truck through a UK MOT and a Brit resident can’t register a truck in Canada or US.The former being the real deal breaker. With maybe the chance of making a US truck both UK MOT and DOT compliant so it can be registered here and haul freight there.
sammym:
Respectfully - can I ask: if it’s so bad why are you still there?
A few reasons… Firstly I love my wife and kids who are US citizens and are not permitted to move to the UK. Secondly, I have too much to loose now, property for a start, I could never own a house like the one I own here if I moved back, it would cost over half a million quid at least. Thirdly I have a rare cancer that I am being treated by a great specialist, if I came back I would not get the same level of care. Fourthly… I have complained on here about the way these companies treat drivers, I have pointed out that my company do not treat people that same way. This company is probably the best transport company in the USA, I have a great pay deal as I mentioned, I don’t sit around not getting paid, the truth is I make more money here than I could make driving back there, my annual pay last year was $80,000.00 and I have a great pension and profit sharing scheme.
Telling you the truth about how drivers here are treated was not anything to do with my own job. Last but not least, my HGV 1 licence has expired and at 64 years old have no desire to apply for a renewal, if I returned I would be without a job or anywhere to live.
Thanks pat for you answers to my questions it cleared up a lot of my thoughts , I have done the holiday drive thing in the usa numerous times and thoroughly enjoyed it and hopefully get to do lots more of it in the future , although been a tourist it don’t come cheap there on my last visit earlier this year was amazed on how expensive everything had got
nedflanders:
Thanks pat for you answers to my questions it cleared up a lot of my thoughts , I have done the holiday drive thing in the usa numerous times and thoroughly enjoyed it and hopefully get to do lots more of it in the future , although been a tourist it don’t come cheap there on my last visit earlier this year was amazed on how expensive everything had got
Expensive yes !.. A lot of tourists come over here and see things on sale such as Levis for a fraction of the price back there, my friends tell me how lucky I am to live in a country with such low petrol prices LOL. Living here is dam expensive as you say, the amount we pay in taxes here is outrageous for a start, a mate of mine who lives in Rugby complains about over a thousand quid a year in council tax, we pay over a thousand dollars every two months for no services to speak of, we even have to pay $59.00 a month to get our dustbin emptied. Just look at the sales tax for instance. A guy I know and work with has no idea how things work over there was telling me how expensive things are in the UK, he quoted prices ad then mentioned VAT, I couldn’t convince him that VAT is already included in the price. When we come to England on our visits we go straight to Tesco for 2 weeks grocery and it rarely touches 100 quid for 4 of us and the countless visitors we entertain, just a weeks groceries here for our family comes to almost $300.00
You are better off living there.
Canada is even worse for groceries, a full trolley with enough for a family of four for a week’s food and stuff is around $400 and our petrol is dearer than in the US too. We also have sales tax on top of the price for almost everything except food. That’s 13% here in Manitoba.
$80k wages may seem good, but it doesn’t go too far, although in Canada if you take $80k home it’s all yours, you don’t have to give Uncle Sam his slice like you do in the good old US of A.
Housing costs are cheaper and you get a big house for the money, but the place is huge and land costs are cheap, but try and buy a house in any of the big cities and you’ll get a shock, seven figures might get you a three bed semi, if you want something that needs renovating. The other reason houses in the country are cheap is because they’re made of wood and that’s a lot cheaper than bricks and mortar.
newmercman:
Canada is even worse for groceries, a full trolley with enough for a family of four for a week’s food and stuff is around $400
Going by a quick check of Loblaws v Waitrose the equivalent cuts of beef that I usually buy like Rib Eye or Sirloin for example costs around the same in $ per kilo as we pay in £ here.While running 3,000 miles per week at even 25c per mile would be $ 750 per week ?.The answer is obviously live on roast beef and steak and chips what’s not to like. While it’s my bet that comparison of what we have to pay in £ they pay in $ also probably applies across the board of groceries among other living costs.
