Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/925196
PULSE January 2018 | Overdrive | 3 hadn't arrived yet. Morris, however, chided drivers still using paper logs, noting the mandate wasn't "something we concocted last night." However, Morris himself wasn't even in a position to document an infraction, given his state's computer system wasn't yet updated to encode ELD violations. He phoned his headquar- ters in Frankfort to note the issue and was told the update to the state's system to allow for documentation of ELD violations could be in place as soon as Dec. 19. — Todd Dills and James Jaillet Last month Hornady Transportation an- nounced a sign-on bonus that could be as high as $10,000. It wasn't the first five-figure sign-on bonus announced in recent weeks. That's no surprise. The latter 2017 drum- beat of optimistic forecasts continued as the new year dawned. Check our story on page 20 if you want to see the latest roundup of evi- dence. One recent statistic is that the American Trucking Associations says third-quarter turn- over for large truckload fleets rose 5 percentage points to 95 percent. ATA frets that the driver shortage is headed for "an all-time high." Most owner-operators more correctly assess the true shortage as one of driver pay. Bottom line: The demand for your ser- vices is higher than normal. There's a fair chance you're among those who could be looking for better pay, working conditions or both if you haven't already done so. In last year's "What Drivers Want Survey," done by Overdrive and Truckers News, owner-op- erators said low pay is the top reason why fleets have trouble attracting and retaining driv- ers. Nothing new there, but there's a curious twist in the response to another question: "What is the one thing you dislike most about your job?" Only 4 percent of owner-operators cited insufficient pay. Six out of 10 chose this: "Regulations make it harder to work and make a living." Some of the other top choices – lack of respect, strain on family life and health, lack of miles – point to key things to investigate if you do look for a better arrangement. Here are a few key points to consider, drawn from Overdrive's Partners in Business manual: • Question anything un- clear in the lease agreement. • Ask all about the mon- ey: What are the policies for fuel surcharge, layovers, empty miles, loading and un- loading, lumpers, tolls and de- tention? How's that sign-on bonus structured? • When you've narrowed your choices to two or three fleets, consider visiting them. Prepare as many ques- tions as you can, and put them to someone from each depart- ment you would deal with. • Ask management, but espe- cially any other leased oper- ators you can find, about the reality of company culture: Re- spect, home time, available miles, safety emphasis and com- munication with management. A serious lack on these issues can easily be a deal breaker, no matter the pay. The reality is that there's a lot more to running an own- er-operator business than chas- ing the next sweet bonus or an extra penny per mile. With downtime and other matters, the total cost to change carriers can run into thousands of dol- lars. Don't let a rash decision force you to repeat the process too soon. Greener pastures mheine@randallreilly.com By Max Heine Editorial director No respect 18% What is the one thing you dislike most about your job? Regulations 60% No complaints/other 11% Low pay 4% Strained family life 7% Enforcement by state Below are the states that have confirmed their intentions during the phased-in approach to enforcement of the ELD mandate. States delaying writing citations/tickets with fines for ELD noncompliance until April 1 States leaving the decision to cite/fine up to the officer Florida Illinois Iowa Kansas Kentucky Missouri Nebraska Nevada Ohio Oregon* South Carolina Tennessee Texas Wisconsin California Colorado Delaware Idaho Indiana Minnesota New Hampshire New Mexico Washington West Virginia Wyoming * Oregon DOT is not issuing citations and is encouraging state police and local departments to follow along. Pay might be the key element in recruiting and retention, but that doesn't tell the entire story of workplace satisfaction.