How to Land a Trucking Job You’ll Hate- a 7 Step Guide for Company Drivers
You’ll find plenty of articles out there giving advice on how to get a better job in trucking. This one focuses on how to ensure you’ll get one you’ll hate (or wind up hating the one you’ve got). The 7 steps here are guaranteed to land you a trucking job you’ll hate.
1. Jump at Your First Job Offer.
Trucking companies hire from trucking schools. Some trucking companies will hire you and put you through school. There are some good trucking companies out there, but the industry standard is that recruiters lie- they’ll promise you the world. So if you don’t take the time to consider your options carefully, you are likely to wind up with a trucking company that offers mediocre pay, minimal benefits and a poor work environment. If you want to hate your job, jump in head first without looking around.
2. Jump into a Lease Purchase Program.
If you want real headaches, buy a truck through a company lease purchase program. You’ll have all the expenses of an owner operator and none of the benefits of a company driver. Sure, you’ll get a fuel surcharge and discount pricing with most companies that offer this program. But they own the truck- you can’t just quit your lease and take your truck to a better-paying company. You’ll find that most lease purchase payments are ridiculously high. In many cases, you’ll be paying more to lease the truck than you would to buy it outright.
3. Quit Your Job Right Away.
Trucking companies are used to drivers who quit, and they don’t like them. If you want to ensure that you won’t get hired by a good company, quit the one you’re with- and then make a point to do it again and again. Good trucking companies like drivers who stick with it- they’ll respect a driver who gives at least 6 months to the job before deciding to look elsewhere. If you want to land a trucking job you’ll hate, quit your first one after a few weeks.
4. Look Like a Slob.
The way you look says a lot about who you are and it influences how people treat you. If you insist on stained t-shirts, sweat pants and flip flops, you’ll find that people will generally treat you like a loser. And if you neglect to shower regularly, you’ll find that people will generally avoid you. Truckers who lack positive social interactions tend to hate their jobs.
5. Develop a Bad Attitude.
No one can whine like a truck driver. Fuel desk workers, dispatchers and CEOs have heard every excuse, complaint and insult there is. A driver with a positive attitude is hard to find. Most drivers start out with a good attitude. If you want to be treated poorly, develop a bad attitude. Become a negative person. You’ll get plenty of bad attitude in return- and you’ll hate your job.
6. Be an Unreliable Driver.
Making your deliveries on time is right up there with being accident free when you’re a truck driver. Dispatchers will keep an eye on you to make sure you’re on schedule- they want to be sure you’re not lagging behind. If you consistently make your dispatcher worry about whether or not you’re going to make your appointment, you’re going to be considered a problem driver. Problem drivers don’t get the gravy runs and don’t get the luxury of elbow room. The wind up looking for another job.
7. Be a Careless Driver.
Most trucks or trailers out there have the company phone number on them in big numbers. Even if they don’t, most company phone numbers can be found easily by doing a Google search of the company name and city. If your company regularly gets calls complaining about your driving, you’ll lose the benefit of the doubt. Or if you regularly show up at the terminal with unexplainable dents, dings or scrapes on the equipment, the excuse “it happened while I was inside the truck stop” isn’t going to fly. If you’re a careless driver, you’ll find that the only trucking job you’ll be able to land is one you’ll hate.
