With the beginning of a new year, many people are looking to make changes in their lives. One of those changes might involve finding a new job, or even a new career.
For current and prospective truck drivers, this might be a great move.
As 2025 kicks off, signs indicate that the trucking industry is entering a new — and hopefully profitable — part of the supply-demand cycle. For the past couple of years or so, the industry has been stuck in a downward trajectory because of overcapacity.
When the supply of available trucks exceeds the demand for services, freight rates go down as the industry undergoes contraction. When that happens, some carriers, both large and small, go out of business. The carriers that remain often reduce their fleet size and change their load acceptance parameters to avoid the least profitable loads.
Right now, most industry analysts agree that trucking is on the verge of a growth cycle. That’s because the supply of trucks has finally shrunk enough to be roughly in equilibrium with the demand by shippers. Rates should begin rising, and carriers will be hiring more drivers to keep their fleets fully seated.
That’s good news for those thinking of changing jobs.
As competition for drivers heats up, so do carrier recruiting efforts. Drivers who have been struggling to get enough paid miles or who are looking for higher pay per load will be keeping an eye on the barrage of recruitment advertising that is sure to ensue.
Before jumping on board with a new carrier, however, there are a few important things to consider.
Rate of pay
In trucking, pay raises often beget pay raises. In other words, carriers know that they’ll lose some drivers to other carriers who announce pay increases. They watch the market carefully to see who’s raising pay — and then they often raise their own compensation package to keep pace. It’s not uncommon for a driver to switch carriers for more pay only to
find out the company they left gave everyone a pay increase. It’s worth asking about before making a decision.
Then, as every experienced driver knows, rates per mile don’t mean much if the miles aren’t there. If you’re considering a job change, ask about the average length of haul and average weekly miles per truck. Carriers with competent management track such numbers and use them in staff meetings and elsewhere to make business decisions.
Recruiters should be able to answer any questions you might have — and those answers should be specific rather than “ballpark” numbers.
At many carriers, bonuses make up a significant part of driver pay. Bonuses are offered for safe performance, on-time deliveries, attainment of fuel mileage goals and other reasons. Bonuses often sound good, but the requirements can make them difficult to achieve. Always ask what percentage of the carrier’s drivers were actually paid the offered bonuses.
If you don’t earn the bonus, will the base pay rate be enough to pay your bills?
Ask about accessorial pay, too, including the requirements to get it. For example, detention pay of $25 per hour might sound OK, but if they only start paying after you’ve been there for four hours, it’s actually not such a great deal. Often there are other conditions — for example, that the detention must be listed on the load paperwork and signed by the customer, or that detention isn’t paid until paperwork is received at the carrier office.
Can you realistically expect to get paid if you are detained?
Layover pay is another ask. If the carrier can’t find you a load while you’re on the road, how long must you wait before earning layover pay? Some carriers have a rule that ties layover to the 34-hour reset of your hours of service, withholding layover pay if the hours are used to reset your hours. The theory is that you’ve benefitted from the hours reset and therefore don’t deserve layover pay.
Such practices should make you wonder if you really want to work for that carrier.
Geographical location
Where you live is an important consideration when considering a job change. Just because your residence falls withing the carrier’s hiring area shown on a map, it doesn’t mean the carrier has enough freight to keep you rolling in that particular area.
You might ask about how the carrier plans to get you home when you’re not actively hauling. If you typically need to drive for hours from your last delivery to your home — and then more hours to get to your next load — that particular carrier may not be the right one for you.
On the other hand, the carrier might have a customer close by where you can drop a trailer and bobtail a short distance to your home.
Equipment matters
Ask about the age of the carrier’s truck fleet, too. Most keep track of the age of the average tractor in their fleet or can at least tell you their trade cycle (how long they keep tractors before replacing them). During periods of low rates and low profits, carriers often reduce new truck purchases, increasing the age of the average truck in their fleet. If you’re concerned about what you’ll be driving, ask during the recruiting process.
Build a record of longevity
Staying longer with a carrier almost always looks better on an application, and some carriers put limits on how many jobs an applicant can have during a specified amount of time in order to be considered for hire.
There are even statistics showing that drivers who change jobs more often tend to be less safe. That’s something to think about when considering a job change, because every job, even a short-term one, impacts your work record.
Do your homework
Thoroughly researching a carrier you’re considering should include more than just an application and a conversation with a recruiter.
Use the power of the internet to find news and reviews of the carrier — and keep in mind that negative reviews are often posted by employees whose time at a carrier didn’t end well. Complainers never attempt to provide the carrier’s side of the story. Still, large numbers of negative posts with few positive ones may be a sign to stay away from a company. Current drivers may give you a clearer picture than online reviews by past employees.
You can also look up accident and inspection information on the carrier’s CSA web page, where you can see how they compare to others.
When rates are high and companies are competing to hire drivers it could be a great time to change jobs — but it’s always a good idea to weigh all the options and check out the company before making a switch.
Cliff Abbott is an experienced commercial vehicle driver and owner-operator who still holds a CDL in his home state of Alabama. In nearly 40 years in trucking, he’s been an instructor and trainer and has managed safety and recruiting operations for several carriers. Having never lost his love of the road, Cliff has written a book and hundreds of songs and has been writing for The Trucker for more than a decade.
