Schneider National No Longer Hiring Inexperienced Drivers

[Bullwinkle]

In a move that is both a result of the country's economic problems and an indication of their seriousness, Schneider National Inc. said last week it will stop training inexperienced people to become truck drivers.

The Green Bay firm, one of the country's largest trucking companies, now will fill its behind-the-wheel openings exclusively with veteran drivers - something it hasn't done since the mid-1980s.

For years, trucking executives nationwide bewailed a "driver shortage" that created huge turnover, pushed up pay and sometimes left tractors sitting idle despite plenty of freight demand.

With the recession tightening its grip, however, those days have disappeared.

Trucking company failures have spiked, a record number of trucks has been idled and drivers who once jumped from firm to firm for better pay or working conditions now are more inclined to stay put.
.......
Each year, the company has trained thousands of inexperienced drivers at centers in Green Bay and five other cities across the U.S. and Canada.


The privately held firm employs or contracts with 14,400 drivers and posted $3.5 billion in revenue in 2007. It hasn't yet disclosed sales for 2008.


On average, it costs Schneider about $8,000 and takes about 45 days to train each newcomer to the field, said Don Osterberg, vice president of safety and driver training.


Training for experienced drivers, which focuses largely on orientation in Schneider's way of doing things rather than the fine points of, say, steering out of a skid, takes about four days and costs about $1,500.


With the industry contracting, Schneider can take advantage of the savings. The "supply and demand lines have crossed," and there are now more experienced drivers than there are jobs, Osterberg said.


More: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

[FlatBroke]

I was wondering how long that was going to take...

[HeyMan]

I've been look'n at Schneider since May. I noticed suspicious rumblings, on other forums, around August. I picked brains, asked question's, but most can't see very well or they suffer from the power of positive thinking.

I had a feeling back then SNI was going to stop hiring.

In Nov. SNI announced they we're closing down their schools. I wrote about this in on one of my posts on this forum in the last week or 2.

[Flatbedpete]

Well is TMC is on their way to profit. We have lost our work to them and their cheap freight rates. I know they have whacked many other companies also. In my opinion they will be the next to try and break the union since they have been working YRC rates down to where that company is having votes as to agree to cut labor costs or jobs. I really feel sorry for the drivers though. There has been some grumbling from companies that might lose everything because of TMC rate cuts to get work. The word is to hit them hard and fast with destruction to their equipment for their antics. What is bad I hear TMC pays well, well maybe for a driver that has been with them for a couple of years, but the new guys are getting paid between 8 and 15 per hour depending on the route and time it takes to do it. Since they are a subsidised company, and well subsidised, I feel they will work for dirt now and then cry like our big three for a bail out to keep them going if they are one of the very few who will even be moving mid next year if things don't change.

[Bullwinkle]

I remember quite a few years back when J.B. Hunt took this route. Didn't last long though because I think they really struggled to find drivers (no experienced drivers wanted to work for them, LOL).

This is a smart move for Schneider though. They are doing the trucking industry a favor by not continuing to bring in new drivers during this extreme freight shortage, and they are helping themselves by saving a lot of money that they generally spend when training drivers.

[SilverSurfer]

A little attention should be paid to the "Green Cards For America" issue. Are they truely shutting down schools and freezing hiring of US truckers...or are they going to utilize our government programs now to bring foreign truckers in. There are some changes being made to the H-2B visa requirements. Don't just look at the top layer of what's happening.

-ss-

[Flatbedpete]

The big problem is to many people go on doing bad or wrong things. With today's government no one ever pays the penalty. I use to laugh about doing something stupid like speeding or over weight. Today you get hammered if you get caught. But look at big business, they have major screw ups and get rewarded for it. This is the wrong signal to be bringing up our newer generations. The old way you are not a crook unless you are caught. Today you are a crook and society pays for it and the more society has to pay, the bigger and better crook you are especially when you get caught and are blatant about it. I respect a company that will no longer hire new drivers with crap wages, since there are so many older drivers who need a job and have families to support with a needed living wage. We shut down again about a month ago, no big deal. Just will wait and see how long it takes to start back up again. Cheap freight will do fine now, but sooner or later, the profit from it will eat up all the companies that perform like this. You have to pay a good wage no matter what, if you expect good service. You also have to pay for maintenence and repairs along with operating costs. So with today's wages, you see poor workmanship and newer equipment that fails inspections. I see it every day and just sit back in amazement that people will work so hard to make nothing. We lost our work to TMC. No big deal. They cut our rates by 50%. Common sense is they will not make it. We made money, they are just making fuel and cheap labor costs. But I do fear they will fail, and our illustrious government by that time will have some major bail out program for crappy trucking companies just like our car companies.
Here is the reason I think this way. A very good friend of mines buddy works for Ford. He makes good money, I had heard in the range of 1000 per week. I also found out from this guy he has worked for Ford for over 20 years. He gets 4 weeks pay to stay home per year for a model year change or die change. That equals 4G. Now since he has worked their so long, he gets an additional 8 weeks off for vacation. That equals 8G. I was told there is 16 weeks minimum in every car whether or not the employee gets it or not. So if I was to look at a new Mustang, one with a V8 at around 30G on the low side, I see no value. But take that 16G off the price for vacation, or year end chango over off and you have a Mustang with a V8 for 14G. I would buy one, maybe two. I have been a Ford lover my whole life, until now, since I happen to be an investor in a piss poor managed, greedy, crooked company that I had no say so in, just like all of you . I say let them follow the rules of Chapter 11 - reconstruction. But that means all the management would have to step down, and we all know that isn't going to happen, and we all know they will be back in March for another huge chunk of cash, because they will piss it all away. What I am scared to find out is, how much tax are we going to have to pay to keep this crap up. Sooner or later, it has to register, that people who are not working, make no money, so they can't pay any tax. Or will our leaders execute people for non payment of taxes.

[Bullwinkle]

I think this is just a case of cutting back on the major costs involved with training drivers. Could be more to it though, definitely needs to be watched.

To be clear though, Schneider is still hiring drivers, but only experienced drivers.

[Bullwinkle]

Pete, I don't mean to sound rude, but you are confusing me, LOL. You are responding to a topic about Schneider no longer hiring rookie drivers with posts that don't seem to be related in any way, unless I am just missing the connection.

[Flatbedpete]

I think this is just a case of cutting back on the major costs involved with training drivers. Could be more to it though, definitely needs to be watched.

To be clear though, Schneider is still hiring drivers, but only experienced drivers.

Well I will say this, I am total in favor of them hiring experienced drivers. I like that idea better than driving next to or near an inexperienced one. I learned driving a bomber from a concrete plant and a stone pit on a haul road. Did this for years in all types of weather. Today we take a guy who can't even shift and get him in rush hour traffic and wonder why we have an accident.