Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Has anybody heard.....

That they have made getting a CDL much harder than before? I hope so, but I don't know if it's true. I've seen a few goofballs driving big rigs like they were Mazda Miatas in the last few years.

Harder, no. Much more expensive, yes. Someone lobbied to require schooling to get a cdl and it has really screwed up driver availability. And most business insurance companies require 3yrs experience to hire a driver now so the people who spend $6k to get a license can’t get hired.

Follow the money.

Harder? No

New drivers are required to have ELDT which is entry level driver training. Can be done on-line for 100. Still allows you to get a CDL without a formal CDL school. Learn from an uncle, on the farm etc.

Old drivers required to take it if upgrading or adding hazmat as new endorsement.

They should do something. It’s pretty ridiculous what is turned loose tearing across the interstate in a semi.

Amen!

E logs, cameras, low rates, govt emission standards are just a few of the reasons drivers are hard to find. They want electric self driving trucks.... the days of the owner operator are over.

yes. you have heard correctly. they set dates twice that I know of and then keep putting it off because of I think the first time they blame covid in the second time it's just a shortage of truck drivers so they don't want to limit it.... supposedly you're going to have to have so many hours of classroom training and driving instruction and more or less going to send you to a CDL School to even get a license now whether you can qualify on your own or not...
most of the guys that I know that qualified on their own early rephrase that past test on their own are better drivers and comes out a lot of the CDL schools. most of them schools just want the money and they pass people left and right boom boom boom that have no business behind the wheel of a car let alone big.. nowadays there's a lot of drivers on the road that have no idea how to drive a manual big truck because automatics are quickly becoming the standard heavy truck..

Bullshit.

They give the CDL's to illegals.......

I could remove the dates and you can guess when COVID hit.

Carriers might be short drivers but the industry is not. MC count is about 7-10 years ahead of schedule. Industry could shed 65k drivers to get to where we'd "normally" be.

Truck driver shortage is pushed by the ATA to garner fed dollars for "CDL training" programs/grants to solve this 'crisis'

Any white independent need not apply.


Or he better apply to a chickenshit truck driving school.




It's totally not intended to put the small independents out of business.


Totally not.

Eskimo exemption of course!

I see some doozy flatbed drivers on the daily. Many can't speak a word of English, 2 are deaf and mute (Not kidding) and the others are old fat white guys that take forever to strap a load down because they have a hell of a time getting up on the trailer. Especially when they are showing 10" of ass crack.

A drive across Wyoming on I-80 will tell you everything you need to know.

Did a little OTR driving back in the mid 80's!
Made about 6 transcontinental trips. WV to CA and back.
It didn't take many stops at TA and Rip Griffin truck stops to figure out that OTR drivers weren't the sharpest tools in the shed!
Not sure how some of them could find their way back to their truck from the restaurant! 🤪

Some of them were pretty rude too. No wonder people hate OTR drivers!
One stated, "I turn on my blinker to move over. After 3 blinks, I just move over. It's up to them to get out of the way!"

I quit OTR when my wife told me my daughter had told her friends she didn't have a daddy anymore. He left home! I picked up the phone and quit right then!

It would be easier to get a medical card to be a commercial airline pilot.

Expect freight rates to rise.....we have no idea why.

They pretty much can't get lower right now. I mean they could I guess but still....

Freight rates will rise when enough capacity leaves the market for current demand. I don't anticipate massive demand increases 2023 at all. Tender rejections need to hit 10% before spot market rates will raise and stick. It's in the 4% range with volumes up 12% over last 6 months. Means there's still way too much capacity.


"Fall rush" would have already been booked for sailing and that's off/down.