tc0819

The costs of job-hopping:
Drivers can find themselves
getting nowhere fast
You would think a professional truck driver
today would feel like it’s a week before
the homecoming dance and they’re
the prettiest girl in school. It’s getting so even if a
driver isn’t a perfect “10,” if they have a CDL and
haven’t been featured on “COPS” lately, they’re
a hot ticket.
Capacity is tight these days, with the industry
already down by an estimated 70,000 drivers
and every projection indicating the driver shortage
is not only going to grow but accelerate.
Carriers are cast in the role of anxious suitors,
competing to turn drivers’ heads with offers of
higher pay, plenty of miles and more nights at
home.
Of course, recruiting is one thing. Retention
is another matter altogether. Job-hopping has always
been an unfortunate reality in the trucking
industry.
In the April/May edition of Truckload Authority,
Jay Green, vice president of business
development at People Element, a company
that works with human resources departments
in various industries, including over 100 companies
in transportation, and Shelley Mundy, director
of recruiting at Brown Trucking Company and
former co-chairman of the Truckload Carriers
Association’s Recruitment & Retention Human
Resources Committee, discussed the costs of
job-hopping from a carriers’ perspective.
Being a buyer in a seller’s market can be
frustrating, and some carriers may have to make
adjustments in policies and attitudes to overcome
an environment that is ripe for job-hopping.
But as Green and Mundy explained, even
though drivers would appear to be in the catbird
seat these days, constantly leaping from job to
job can have some pitfalls for them they may not
be thinking about.
Everyone has those days when Johnny Paycheck’s
voice rings in their ears, egging them on
to, “Take this job and shove it.” And if you’re sitting
in that cab all day, sparks flying in your mind
from whatever ax you have to grind, it can be
tempting to sing along.
Got a beef with management, why not just
walk? You don’t have to put up with — whatever
your beef is. After all, companies are falling all
over each other to sign up drivers. Even if you
are relatively happy with your job, it’s understandable
in today’s market to be tempted see
what’s out there.
“Who doesn’t want to better their career?”
Green said. “We sort of measure our self-worth
on being in a better situation this year than we
were a year ago. Drivers always have their ears
on,” Green said. “They’re the most wanted people
in America.”
But he warns drivers, even though switching
jobs can be one of the quickest ways to improve
your income and other aspects of your career,
jumping ship every time something goes wrong
44 TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.TruckersConnection.com