We didn’t do this to ourselves. Politicians and bureaucrats did this. They deregulated the industry and started taking recommendations from the ATA-which does NOT represent truck drivers, but represents the mega-carriers and the interests of the major corporations that do business with them. They pump out as many steering wheel holders as they can each and every year to flood to market with so many drivers that wages have been virtually stagnant for the last 30+ years.

I was a driver in the 1980's. Then, if you parked near someone's house they were friedly and even they invited to diner. Nowadays, I was told, they'd call the police to kick you out.

Part of the problem with our value is that we don't demand our value. If you go to a lawyer, doctor, or accountant, you'll be told what their services cost. Trucking companies ask what the customer will pay.

Rony, thank you for your support trying to improve our career better.! THANKS for your valuable time!

You are offering rare insight, perspective and context that needs to be understood everywhere.

I got my cdl about a year and a half ago did otr now local , my only goal is to use the bullshyt truck money to fund goin back to school for something else

I got my CDL in 2014 and try to get in the industry but from the very first day I realized the industry it’s a bucket of shit. Lasted two weeks and got out of the truck. Came back in town and got a job driving a tow truck. I’ m a driver make 100K+ a year. Sleep in my bed every night. Don’t regret my decision. Still haven’t found the trucking job that pay will pay me that….

30 years in the industry, and I have yet to meet a dispatcher with a brain.

Only drive for small carriers that are close to home, those guys are part of the community and will actually get you home since we all know eachother.... fuck mega carriers, fuck EPA and fuck the DAMN GOVERNMENT. Paid off two homes and 4 cars running for the small timers.

I remember when my dad was an o/o and did great then i was an o/o till i retired. Up till the last 3 years of driving i made wonderful money but i really dont know how o/o can make it now

I definitely appreciate your videos! I'm a container hauler owner operator. I've been doing this since 1985 & wow, the complexion of things has really changed since then. In my opinion the deadliest combination on the road today is, new drivers & automatic trucks. All I see is trucks tailgating & throttle brake, throttle brake. At least with a stick downshifting creates separation.

You are absolutely right ronen. All the best

I'm retired now but when I first started trucking 40 years ago we had to learn how to backup a wagon and hook up to it and disconnect it before we even saw the highway and I fully believe in a graduated system I believe in America you got to be 21 to drive a big truck and you're only allowed to carry so much weight for the first couple of years I believe

Those fake news talking about the shortage of drivers are obviously a really smart and elaborate way to bring new drivers every day. I work for a megacarrier and they literally have one or 2 new driver every week and or 2 quitting every week to… i am trying to find a way to go back to the trades…

Your right. 26 years driving and I find myself mentoring new drivers.

Thank you Ronan for making this video this needed to be said

Sounds great. Keep us up to date!

Thankyou Ronen for all your efforts. It’s really helpful and insightful. Wishing you all the best in your future endeavours. Wish that I could be part of your team some day.

You’re spot on!!

Ronen your best one yet!

My Dad owned a logging company in the U.S. during those same boom years and experienced the same ensuing decline in income. The problem you are describing is not only with trucking. The entire economy increasingly has been rigged by our owners/masters to favor huge transnational corporations over Mom-and-Pop companies. This has happened in nearly every industry. It all started when Jimmy Carter deregulated trucking. Mom-and-Pop don't have a chance and it's only going to get worse. The place to be is repair and maintenance. As the machines become more sophisticated and replace workers, we still need people who understand and know how to fix the machines and use the increasingly sophisticated tools (including laptops) required to do that. That's why it will take longer and longer to become licensed in those professions. But even then, the big banks have made it nigh impossible for mom and pop to get the financing necessary to buy a company that does plumbing or electrical work. If you want to be a capitalist and not a mere worker, the best option will be real estate and other real assets. I hate to say this Ronen, because of your attachment to trucking, but you might want to see the writing on the wall and transfer whatever capital you have to something else. It will make your Dad sad, but I'm sure he can see the logic.

Excellent video Ronen I totally agree 👍

Trucking has become overregulated. Electronic logs prevent drivers from making money. Use to be if you were willing to run hard, you could make more money and companies would give you better loads to keep you. Electronic logs make all drivers the same, good or bad, and rates low because no company can guarantee better service or on time delivery when drivers are restricted. Businesses will always take cheapest rate because trucking companies can't offer better service. Graduated licenses won't bring people into the industry. Part of the appeal of being a driver is being able to work alone and being in charge of what you do. It will also put small companies at a disadvantage because they can't afford to pay for an extra experienced driver to babysit new drivers.

Thanks for the video

Thx 🙏 so much your knowledge Ronen

Wow. Awesome, ronin. Really impressive

really appreciate the tone and honesty in this video. #maketruckinggreatagain

You hit the nail on the FN head with this one!

Thank you for trying to make it better

Thank you understanding that carriers can no longer be in competition with each other.

We support you Ronan

I have haz mat, double triples,twic card. I am constantly treated like dirt by employers. Companies that cry because they can't find 30 drivers have stolen my bonus pay, cut my pay one company after 2 years perfect record was paying me less then when I started. You tell me what's the problem

Ronen keep up the great work for the industry it needs a lot of fixin ps love your videos teachs me a lot I’m a retired company driver of 25 years I loved driving but my health got the best of me retired in 2016 sometimes I do miss driving

The industry desperately needs help. Thank you for your contributions!

The government is allowing foreign labor to come in and work for low wages. Same with the trucking, foreigners opening their own companies with cheap foreign drivers accepting cheaper and cheaper freight. We might as well go drive local and let foreigners drive OTR

Thanks for your hard work 🙏🏾

Dude you hit every nail on the head. Everything you said is truth.

Great info, thanks for sharing!

24 otr years and capped out at .60 cpm. And I've been told that the industry will not allow any more.

Left a great job in 1997 to become a truck driver went from 40000 a year to 26000 a year,ran a ton of NYC loads into the big apple.then a back haul that didn't pay 6 hrs back,had a book map of NYC ran all over long Island and NYC ,didn't get any raise after a few years I left,that was in 2000.I got pretty good at backing up into tight spaces in the city.Then got a job hazmat tanker Pay went up big time got overtime,home every night.Over the Road driver should make at least 70 thousand a year .

This is good news I pray it works out for the better. I smelled the good times;by the time I became an owner operator the market was and is still crap.making money now is so hard

As much as we sacrifice out here on the road, we are severely under-compensated, as well as under paid.

I couldn't agree with you more. Unity is the key here, cuz as the saying goes, "We're either going to hang together or we're going to hang alone." I've been continuously amazed at the responses of some of the drivers who have been driving awhile, when I ask a question about some regular maintenance on their truck or trailer, and the snarky remarks i get in return, such as how long have you been driving? Or other snide remarks. Aren't we in this together? Putting each either down or coming down hard on a driver when he or she makes the smallest mistake is not helping at all. I've had trainers who were extremely aggressive and not qualified to train a circus animal but always seemed eager to make a better pay off your miles and such. As I was looking into becoming an instructor at one point, i was amazed that this school had a 2 week accelerated program where even though I was told it was all about the students, the final straw came when they said most students pass their road test by the third attempt, as they're chauffeured to the test sight in groups and when they don't pass the first time, they hone in on the specific skills they missed and usually by the third attempt most do pass by then. Also, the truck stops have so much trash left behind on the grounds, the fuel islands especially, with stuff just not taken care of as well. It's a lot of things, but the compensation is not the greatest. The newer ones want to start making the big bucks with very little experience under their belt, so in doing so, they don't have the wherewithal to work towards that main goal yet and sometimes negotiate lower paying loads in the long run, which hurts the more experienced drivers who should have had a better crack at these loads in the first place. Bigger companies need drivers to fill their accounts and could at times do a better job at screening some of these drivers, instead of leaving it up to the dispatchers to figure this out after their hired on. I liked your video and all the inserts that were added too. Hope you can help in getting this improved, and while I'm on the subject, i think the licensing bureaus should make it mandatory for other licenses issued to include questions, and videos if necessary, on trucks to include their stopping ability and following distance of other vehicles. There's so much that can be done to enhance truckers' livelihoods to include more places to park and overall appreciation for this extremely necessary profession. Hopefully this is easy to understand overall. I did my best to edit it afterwards.

I really appreciate what you do for the industry.

Good job ❤

I’m not a big union guy by any means. BUT…back in the day, almost everyone was in the union. They stuck together, they made a good living and they had the juice. It’s all gone. Never to return. Now all the huge carriers have the power and it’s a race to the bottom. I’m not sure what we can ever do to return the value of being a truck driver.

I remember stories from long ago where the best run you could get was the NC to CA run. Leave out with furniture and come back with produce! Guys used to make killer money! Some drivers only ran that route their whole careers because, it was so lucrative! The government has created the CDL mill due to covid , CDL schools and megas got government checks for every student that went thru the program. They didn't care if you quit because, they got their money. The apprenticeship idea is great. However, it would dissuade people from entering trucking ( just like the trades). I always thought PRIME had a good program due to the amount of time a new driver spent in training. I don't believe all these stories about people leaving trucking! If so, the truck stops would have plenty of parking and drivers pay would have to go up! This is a GREAT video that EVERY driver should see!!

Rooting for you Ronen, R O N E N. 💯

I agree 💯 6mth to a yr training for new drivers 2yrs to be right and tautomatic trucks for seasoned drivers of 5 to6 yrs under 6yrs must drive stick shift

Yep , swift lied about being short 2 thousand drivers , then there I was sitting in the terminals no loads …

You also got some of those that are being forced to retire or being forced to leave the industry. That wants to stay

Your are correct on everything my friend when I was a kid riding with my uncle in the summers drivers had respect

All those big retailers are paying pennies for their goods to be made in China. Why would they pay top dollar for transportation? Cut costs, cut costs, cut costs........ everybody loses, except the shareholders.

I do like your stuff. You post important & valuable information. Just to let you know your appreciated. Thank you

I am sitting in my front yard with 25.00 in my pocket. But it beats sitting in a truck 3 hours to get unloaded and all the stress that goes with it. Plus you can't get a decent meal anymore out there. Can't park, can't run like we use to. I started in 1976. I was going back out today and give it another try, but you know I would rather sit in the front yard with 25 dollars than put up with the headaches

So many folks that don’t have anything to do with the industry has their hands in the pot

I got my license in 2012, it took me 2 weeks to get it, but I grew up inside a truck and by the time I was 16 I was driving in the back roads of Texas and in the truck yards washing and parking out trucks. As soon as I turned 18 it was just a matter of passing 5 written tests and scheduling a driving test

Great info

Thank you for what you do. love the content and in my opinion your always spot on. I’ve said for years that a new CDL holder need to drive on a permit just as you do in a car before you can have a full license. However the mega carriers will have a fit cause that means they gotta hire more trainers and pay more money. Unfortunately everyone has there hand out in the trucking industry and the small fleet owners and drivers are the ones getting the bed end of the deal. Again thank you for being the voice of reason.

I started in 1983. If god keeps my health good. I am finished in 5 more years. I do enjoy your videos . Its been a good life.some sad and some great.keep up the good videos

I left after the pandemic. Truckers worked the second worst conditions of the pandemic and got absolutely nothing for it. Not a raise, tax cut, bonus, or even a thank you. I will even argue that the disrespect is worse now than even before the pandemic.

Preach on brother…

That absolutely true,

There is inflation and trucking is the only industry unable to rise prices to adjust to inflation, when every other industry does. What this means? It means that trucking has become so cheap that even a significant inflation can't move the needle up.

Getting a Hazmat endorsement requires experience/additional training, as do many military contracts. These jobs pay more. Regulation & apprenticeships won't set a floor on freight rates especially in this 2024 recession. Heck, ubereats drivers make 50k a year

In the USA deregulation is what killed trucking. Before that a company had to go to the ICC for a rate change after deregulation companys started popping up everwhere and cutting rates. I started driving in 1973 and retired in 2023 so I have seen alot of change from the good times till what is now. And I stayed with the same small company for 46 years that was started in 1918.

It takes much longer for a novice in Ontario to go through the G1>G2>G license path than it does for an inexperienced driver to go through the G>AZ license path. This point of view is very good! Many drivers pay less than CAD$4000.00 to advance from their G>AZ license in the GTA. These drivers are just over 20 years old, have never seen snow, and leave the industry after immigrate. That's if they don't kill or die on the road first. In Canada, Truck Driver is no longer a profession, it is a dangerous path to achieving a short-term goal.

So true..

When I started back in 1972 I was proud to be a driver. Now I don't want people to know.

I know about the lack of solo money so I got my CDL and teamed with my husband. We still are but pay is dropping rapidly . My company got mad when I mentioned it

The trucking industry has gone down hill since deregulation

In the mid-1970s I knew local drivers that earned $40k + per year. What happened?

I love what your doing, but if the trucks with 5 drivers in them keep taking low paying loads just to get the work, I have a feeling the load boards will keep their prices low because they know those trucks are out there.

I was a driver in the 70s. My dad was a driver (Fuel Tanks) around 1977 or 78 My dad told me the PUC that controlled the the prices of loads and they had stopped. My dad said he drove back before the PUC. This is the time to get out of trucking because all the cut throat companies will will owner operators. So I went back to my trade as a metal fabricator.

I used to be a o/o only got me into debt and ruined my relationship😂

This can be said about alot of careers that used to be decent to good pay. Not to mention alot of predatory business practices becoming common place among the workforce.

This whole idea of pumping more drivers was to pay less and less and now its worse because of gps being too reliable which makes easier to go around without knowing anything

This driver mill: is manufactured so that people leave the industry. To perpetuate the falacy of driver shortage. Where the mega carriers can use the period of shortage to their advantage. Then lean out and use a good portion of their fleet as a tax write off, by sitting the drivers (thus forcing them to leave to afford their bills), engaging the cycle again

Good stuff Yes please help us become a united industry. Thanks👍

Get rid of the brokers too.

Facts.

Thank God I will be retiring and don't have to deal with this anymore. Maybe 5 months out of the year, I might drive anything more than that. Not going to happen. Around November of 2024. I think this will be my last year. long hall trucking😢😢😢😢😢

I saw an UPS driver going down the wrong on ramp getting onto the interstate the other day. Nearly about to go head-on with traffic. You once had to be a top-tier driver to get on with UPS, but I guess those days are over.

A lot of your comments are right. A lot drivers aren't professional. As you said most leave industry within 3 to 5 years. Then a new comes in just to find things aren't what they thought it would be. And cycle continues. As a driver we need to be Professional drivers not a (trucker). That first thing to change in this industry. Secondly have driving schools and truck drivers tells people who want become a truck driver what are to expect on job. The few big are you will be away from your family for weeks if not months. Also many times you be docks for hours. There has been times I have been waiting to get unloading or load 10 to 12 hours. And the third one is at least in America until you at least 1 year OTR experience you are get the worst of the worst companies to work for they use you. They just don't care about you as a person as long you get the load from A to B . There is a lot to be said but I will leave here

The government needs to start charging the instructor who's doing the road test? On these students Going Out there on the road. So the instructor that has the truck she'll be liable. Who's doing the road test the road exam on the person? And not only that driver the company , the school should be liable for those students also

Transportation is the most expensive expense most shipping companies have, they will all do anything they can to get cost done to make it look better for investors

Conveyor belt is a great way to describe my experience with the company I went to school at and also drove for. Some drivers that I went to school with already had experience with some type of large vehicle. I on the other had had zero experience. Of course those individuals did very well and I on ther had needed more time to learn. I think that one of the best course of action is at the very least one year of apprenticeship. Also learning with a manual transmission rather than automatic. Automatics are WAY TOO EASY to drive and thereby allows the person behind the wheel to be careless instead of careful.

I drove Trucks for nearly 30 years from 88 to 19 and we had a saying that Truck Drivers were a dime a dozen. Too many companies, shippers and consignees treated drivers like shit. Having to Hire a Lumper is BS. Car drivers on the highways treat Truck Drivers like shit and even some Truck Drivers treat drivers like shit. Yes. The quality of the Truck Drivers has went down tremendously. Car driver quality has hit an all time low. Truck Companies do not give enough training to new drivers. When I started Truck Driving in 1988, my first Truck Company trained me for 6-8 weeks with a trainer. When I retired in 2019, a lot of new drivers only got a couple weeks training. I am truly glad that I am retired so I don't have to put up with all the BS.

Legislative action to stop or at least limit foreign drivers entry in the USA. Make it illegal to charge anyone to learn to drive a truck. Training should be free. They are drivers that have quit before they pay their student loan. Limit the number of new students per year per legislature. This forces the pay increase and lessens turnover.

Guess i better look before sending 😮

Same problems here in the uk!

Still driving over 10 years & a decade of towing & auto repair prior to that. Last shop in 07 I was ok at 12 a hour. I'm sure part is envy but, now McD is 15+, and you don't need a 5k toolbox and up to double that in tools to make that. In 09 CDL school starting outlook was 35k not much more than McD now. No skill jobs have doubled, with a decade regional, local, and interstate I make about double of 09 no experience driver level. Unskilled work keeps going up where skilled work like us stays pretty stagnant. Takes skill to drive a rig proficienctly. Ever been near NJ ports yea that can be a nightmare with experience. Drivers today at 5-10+ years on the same curve should be at 125-150k a year. Maybe a heavy haul driver makes that? People tend to leave when the more you bring flattened out with the rest. Just over a decade left, just got another for auto hauling see what happens this round? The J O B's aren't gonna pay off the house or leave enough for more than ssi to retire on.

13 years in trucking O/O.Looking for an exit strategy.Trucking is done deal.

I mean if your broke making $60,000 net than you have a personal problem. Over the road truckers should definitely make more for the sacrifice they make but coming from a place of poverty modern trucking is a fantastic opportunity with how easy it is to become a company driver or lease operator

You're rite on the money, back when I started trucking in 79 as an owner opp I made way more money then at our current yr 2024 with out question!!! Equipment was alot less money opperating costs were alot less eg. Fuel tires parts you name it . I still love trucking I'm lucky I own a beautiful KW it's paid for so I am looking forward to retirement in a couple more years !

Good video and knowledge in this. I use to run California loops and make good money as driver lot's of money more money than bills. Now I'm currently doing local work trucking is not the same and not worth it. I. Happy to be home away from sleeping and stressed out on brokers and carriers companies dispatch early loads long wait for pick up's and not getting paid rite for Detroit layover I'm so sick of that's crap that I'm so happy to be away I have no respect for companies dispatching and brokers they can go freak themselves 😆 I use to charge my carrier detention right wen I got to the pick up or drop I told them I would leave if u don't pay me they take advantage of mechanism away from home away from family u going to pay me even no hold bars man I'm happy to be away from that's stuff selfishness the carriers brokers are.

If I were king for a day, I would make the following laws: 1. Brokers have to have a license issued by the DOT just like an MC# but they have to have physical business address in North America to be able to dispatch loads here. Brokers would also have to show proof of business insurance in amount of 1 million and have a bond of 500k. 2. In order to get your CDL you have to have a state issued drivers license with no incidents for 24 months and be a permanentresident. 3. To obtain a CDL you are required to have 40 hours classroom, 24 hours behind the wheel and have have a licensed trainer sign off on your driving before you can test. 4. Trainers have to be federally licensed by DOT and would have an endorsement added to thier CDL to do so. Im thinking a minimum of 5 years of having a CDL in good standing in order to get the endorsement plus a competency test including shifting, state/federal law testing, basic teaching skills, etc.

When I say I’m a truck driver to ppl, it feels like I’m saying I’m a dirty annoying bum

I agree with you. Canada has no shortage of truck drivers.

I got 28 yrs exp. And I'm ashamed to tell someone I'm a driver