Nobody likes looking for a job. After hours of compiling or updating your résumé, you turn to the internet. You Google “trucker jobs”. Google returns an infinite sea of job sites. Okay, you take a deep breath and pick one of the more popular jobs search sites. You input your criteria and after a few seconds, you get a list of jobs. As you peruse them, you realize that many of them require licenses you don’t have or you’re overqualified for many of them or that many of them aren’t even for truck driving jobs. Frustrated, you pick up the help wanted section of your newspaper. Nothing. You make a list of major trucking companies that you know and begin viewing each of the websites, finding their careers section, and uploading your résumé to each one. Within a half hour, you get up and walk away from your computer, resisting the urge to throw it out the window, as you go outside to contemplate your life choices.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Trucking Companies are Desperate
Today, trucking companies are in a scramble to find truckers to fill openings. According to a 2017 truck driver shortage analysis by the ATA, in 2016, there was a shortage of 36,500 truck drivers, and if that rate continues, that number is expected to swell to 174,000 by 2026.
It’s not just Amazon that is driving the demand for drivers. Online shopping has always been a boon for small retail companies by allowing them to compete on a level playing field without the expense of brick and mortar stores, but now big retailers like Target and Walmart are finding success with huge increases in their online sales. This shortage is causing shipping costs to skyrocket, and consumers are beginning to incur those costs in the form of higher prices for goods. While this is bad news for consumers, it is good news for truckers. Many companies are desperate for driver and will offer higher pay and better benefits to their drivers.
Life on the road isn’t always an easy one and long hauls can be physically and mentally demanding and keep you away from your family for long periods of time. This is one of the biggest reasons that potential truckers are turned off. Fortunately, the shortage is making trucking companies rethink the way they do things, and many are now offering shorter runs so their truckers can be home with their families more. Retailers are opening more warehouse “hubs” so hauls are broken up into shorter legs.
The high demand has also caused salaries for drivers to skyrocket too. The U. S. Labor Department says the median salary for truck drivers is around $44,000, but many companies today are hiring at $80,000+ to fill trucking positions. When salaries in most industries have remained stagnant over the last several years, trucker salaries have been going up 8% to 12% yearly. Along with sign-on bonuses, 401Ks, and other benefits, the time is ripe to make a great living as a truck driver. If you’re not a licensed driver yet, some companies are even offering to pay for potential employees to take the course that is required for a CDL license which can cost as much as $8,000.
A Better Way to Search
There are many ways to look for a trucking job. You can search print ads, bulletin boards at truck stops, help wanted ads in trade publications, social media, and driver application events. You can search online job sites but they don’t do a very effective job filtering out jobs you wouldn’t be interested in and you may find yourself sifting through a lot of jobs that don’t meet your qualifications. All of these ways take up a lot of time and lead to a lot of dead ends. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way that you could post your résumé and have interested companies contact you? Or what if you could search a database of only trucking jobs available in a region you choose?
There is!
TruckerSearch.com allows you to search for trucking jobs and have trucking companies search for you. Only trucking jobs and only what you’re looking for. Fill out an application with your relevant information, and TruckerSearch will match you with companies looking for you. It couldn’t be faster or simpler.
If you’re tired of spinning your wheels and want to get back out on the road, go to TruckerSearch.com and find your dream driving job!