The good news right now is the economy has stopped dropping, and truck loads have stopped shrinking. So what exactly does this mean for truck drivers & trucking companies? Nothing but good things, I think.

Although the economy shipping shrinkage has stopped, it is predicted there will be no major growth for another six months. And the trucking industry is not going to feel any effect for probably another year. Yet, trucking companies are still in need & still hiring truck drivers everyday! It’s such a big industry and the demand, for shipments & drivers, will never go away.

On another note, when the economy really picks back up again, we believe the cost of freight will go up along with fuel prices. This freight increase will be good for trucking companies because they can get their business fully running again and continue to make more money. During 2011, trucking companies can expect to see a major development in the trucking industry as they will be hiring more drivers and eliminating layoffs. When the economy completely rebounds, people will start to ship more products again, and this will eventually generate high demand for truck drivers, just like before. And companies like Driver Solutions will still be around to help fill that demand.

It is known that trucking companies are the ones that go down first in a bad economy, but they're also the first ones to come back up when the economy is good. Hopefully that time is fast approaching!

1. Do you pre-screen applicants?

At the very least, a truck driving school should make sure you meet the minimum qualifications to be a truck driver. There's no point in paying for and enrolling in school if you're either a) ineligible to obtain a CDL license or b) unemployable because you fail to meet certain qualifications in regards to your driving record, health, or criminal background.

2. What type of job placement assistance do you offer?

In today's economy, you want a truck driving school that's going to help place you in a job. Remember, a CDL license is no good if you can't use it to make money. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of schools out there more than willing to take your money without ever helping you find employment.

With Driver Solutions, we actually recruit truck drivers and link them up with an employer before they even begin truck driving school. That's the main reason our job placement rate is so high — nearly 100%.

3. How long have you been a school? What is your history?

You're asking because you want to make sure this isn't a fly-by-night operation. You want a school that's established, has a good history and isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

4. What sort of equipment do you use to train truck drivers?

If they're training you on outdated rigs, using paper log systems and old technology, keep moving. You want a school that's got good trucks, good equipment and excellent training schools. Why? Because that's what most truck driving companies will expect from new graduates. It's what they're already using on the road.

5. May I see your practice area?

Before you sign on the dotted line, actually go and look at a school. Do they have a paved driving range with clearly marked skills practice areas or is it little more than a gravel lot? Are they operating out of real offices or a trailer in a field? Going out to look at a truck driving school can give you a lot of insight into its overall quality.

Of course, most truck drivers, particularly OTR drivers, also pack their own communications gear. You'll find most of them are carrying either a laptop or smart phone that lets them access personal email and entertainment via high-speed Internet hookups or even their own cellular networks. Instead of static-filled phone calls home, they can now maintain almost constant contact with their loved ones.

A recent article in Transport Topics noted that the average age of a tractor (the power unit of a semi truck) is 10 years old. But that estimate includes all types of fleets - owner operators, private fleets, and less-than-truckload carriers, along with truckload carriers. The report found that the larger truckload carriers have the youngest fleets.

New drivers completing the Driver Solutions CDL training program go to work for the larger truckload carriers and can expect to drive a truck that is less than 4 years old. That means newly trained truck drivers are getting behind the wheel of trucks that have some of the latest safety and convenience features that are available today. If you are considering attending truck driving school and starting a new career, be sure to check out the fleet of a possible employer. Providing late model equipment means a trucking company is focused on reducing truck breakdowns and delays and expensive repair costs.

Starting your new truck driving career with a respected, responsible trucking company can help make your new trucking job very successful. For the best new driver job opportunities, check out the company-sponsored CDL training program from Driver Solutions.

To help contain costs and remain one of the trucking industry’s largest truckload carriers, Schneider National has decided to cut drivers’ holiday pay and begin instituting week-long unpaid furloughs for all employees, from the office and shop staff to those at the executive levels.

Beginning in February, Schneider suspended pay raises, stopped training and hiring inexperienced truck drivers, and announced it would defer retirement plan payments for the remainder of 2009. Now this. It seems that not only are the ‘small fries’ in the trucking industry having trouble staying afloat, but the ‘big boys’ are too.

Even though many of the bigger trucking companies in the US are cutting costs, training, & the hiring of new truck drivers, Driver Solutions is still going strong. The Driver Solutions Network gets you qualified, trained, and hired by a network trucking company before you even attend the CDL training school. So, if you’re looking for a career change and a better way of life, see what Driver Solutions can do for you today!

There seems to be quite the controversy over this subject these days. Some feel we should allow trucks from Mexico to cross our borders with goods. Others, not so much. Those in favor of allowing the trucks to cross feel that this is an opportunity our economy can’t afford to pass up. Those not, on the other hand, believe that opening US roads to Mexico has the potential to further harm our nation. But who’s right?

I, myself, see the pros and cons of both. If we let them in, it could help boost our economy. But it could also pave an easier way for drugs and illegal aliens to enter our country. If we don’t let Mexican trucks cross the US border, we could be faced with lawsuits and allegations that our government is violating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), but drugs and illegal aliens would have one less avenue to enter the US.

And here’s one thing to ponder…If our government decides to allow Mexican trucks to enter our country, would truck driving jobs be taken away from our own citizens? I’d like to hear what you think.

For anyone facing a career change which requires formal training program, such as truck driving school, selecting a good school with job placement assistance is critical.

It’s becoming a trend in this rough economy.  There are a lot of truck driving schools willing to train the unemployed or under employed workers. But these truck driving schools are experience huge problems with helping their students find jobs once they graduate with a CDL.  Just 18 months ago, truck driving jobs were easy to come by.  Nearly every trucking company was hiring truck drivers and it was easy to qualify.  Unfortunately, most of the trucking driving schools experienced a surge in enrollment as people flocked to careers with more job security.  But at the same time, the economy was slowing and so was the demand for freight services.  Trucking companies reacted swiftly by hiring less and less and tightened their qualifications.  With smaller trucking companies going bankrupt and owner operators squeezed out, Suddenly, the labor market was flush with experienced truck drivers and trucking companies were choosing experienced drivers over graduates of the local truck driving school. 

Yet, there are many slick truck driving school recruiters making claims of truck driver jobs paying $45,000 to $50,000 to entice people to enroll.  The reality is graduates who paid thousands of dollars for CDL training are discovering they can’t qualify for the available trucking jobs.  In fact, there is a trucking school in suburban Detroit MI that is facing the threat of a lawsuit from graduates that are unable to find a trucking job.  The school made its money by charging large tuition fees, so they aren't’t about to change their tactics.  It sort of sounds like those sub-prime mortgage lenders that have cost so many families to lose their homes.  If you are considering attending a truck driver training program, it’s recommended that you choose a company-sponsored CDL training program.  Driver Solutions offers a CDL training program that actually qualifies you for an entry-level truck driver job prior to beginning the company-paid CDL training program.  Driver Solutions has developed relationships with leading trucking companies that are currently hiring graduates of the Driver Solutions program. 

A Michigan CDL truck driving school is being sued by seven former students who allege that the truck driver training school violated 11 Michigan provisions of the Consumer Protection Act and Advertising laws, as well as made false representations of the program to entice the students to sign contracts.  Check out the news story. 

The suburban Detroit school is accused of promising their customers they’d make over $40,000 in the first year and that they would always be helped out with job placement, a promise that is said they did not keep.  And each customer has to sign a contract that puts them ‘on the hook’ for the $6,000 training tuition, all the time being reassured by the trucking driving school representatives that they would never have to pay for it…the trucking company that they go to work for will pay it, even though they don’t know who that company is yet.

Unfortunately, this isn't’t just an isolated case with one school in Detroit.  It’s happening nationwide at truck driving schools.  Several trucking companies have stopped recruiting truck driving school grads altogether.  For instance, Schneider National used to run their own truck driving school, but shut it down and has even stopped hiring any inexperienced truck driving school graduates.  It may sound like a grim outlook, but really it just means you have to make smarter more informed decisions about your truck driving career.  There are still good trucking companies hiring new drivers, but they are more selective and prefer you attend an approved truck driving school.  Look for trucking job opportunities that offer real company-sponsored CDL training.  One business that does offer true company-paid CDL training is Driver Solutions.  Before you can attend the CDL training program, Driver Solutions has to get your application qualified with one of their network trucking companies.  With CDL training & an entry-level truck driving job with the Driver Solutions Network, inexperienced truck drivers will never have to worry about getting left behind.  By going through the Driver Solutions CDL truck driver training program, you’ll have the option to choose which sponsorship plan fits your situation best – Basic, Classic, or Premier.  To learn more about the Driver Solutions Driver’s Choice sponsorship programs, visit our website.

For being in the midst of a severe economic recession, P.A.M. Transport is one trucking company that’s holding it together. Even though the company reported a first quarter net loss greater than the same period last year, P.A.M.’s operating loss for the first quarter of 2009 was reduced by about 9% compared to Q1 of 2008.

P.A.M. Transport is continuing to focus on expense items, looking for opportunities to reduce or eliminate cost and ultimately decrease the impact of the weak freight environment on the company’s bottom line. An in light of all the troubles in the automotive industry, P.A.M. Transport is identifying new business opportunities, trying to overcome an extremely competitive freight market. For a company whose major customers are facing the worst times, P.A.M. Transport will have to succumb to many more changes to make sure they’re able to ride this storm out.

Yesterday, 27 year old Milo Banks led Georgia police on a nearly 70 mile chase after stealing a semi tractor. Truck driver, Torrey Lang, was in the parking lot and noticed Banks get into his truck and start to take off. Lang jumped on the side of the tractor and ended up hanging on the back while the thief drove the stolen truck down I-75 through seven Georgia counties. Lang was able to call 9-1-1 to report the theft. The hour long chase began to slow when police threw out spike strips to blow the truck tires, and it eventually ended with Lang jumping off the truck uninjured and Banks being pulled from the truck and tackled to the ground by about a dozen police officers. Banks is now facing multiple charges, including fleeing from police and kidnapping to theft by taking.

I just found this to be an interesting story. With the economy the way it is,people seem to be getting more and more desperate, making thievery their new way of life. All they have to do, instead of stealing trucks from those who work for a living, is go to CDL truck driver training and get a financially stable career for themselves! The Driver Solutions Network is currently training and hiring inexperienced truck drivers. For more information on this great truck driving opportunity, visit the Driver Solutions website.