This is what happened to my profession?

[Itchigo]

I'm at work, I drive over to a guy who was looking for an empty trailer. Another driver comes up, and shows me a phone with and address on the screen. I say "yes, you're in the right place, go through that gate to dock 18". He looks puzzled. I say it again. He still looks puzzled, so I say "follow me, I'm going there". He still doesn't understand. After a minute or two, he finally gets it. I look at the driver I was talking to before, and say "see, THAT'S why we can't get a decent wage anymore". He's driving a tractor trailer, and doesn't know ANY english!! Sure, basic things like stop signs are universal, but what about detours, and things you actually have to READ!

So this is how low my profession has sunk. We take anyone and put them behind the wheel, because we can save money that way. For clarification, he wasn't hispanic, he was Russian.

Personally, I couldn't care less what you are. But If I come to your country, I'm expected to speak your language, excepting I'm a tourist. But if you work in any kind of industrial setting, you need to be able to understand enough english to know "the building's on fire- GET THE FUCK OUT"!! If that makes me a racist, well, who cares? Sounds like more uncommon sense to me.....

[Pintrepid]

Common sense, definitely! Everyone should be smart enough to know the language of Gestures, especially if they're driving a huge truck costing hundreds of thousands of dollars with a cargo that could be into the millions.

I hope the airline industry isn't following suit ... can u imagine this Russian dude attempting to land the plane you're in???

[Itchigo]

He did seem to know how to drive, he had no problem backing in or anything like that. But like I say, communication is everything. If you want to come over to this country and make something of yourself- more power to you! I have no problem with that. I am seeing a huge trend with heavy accents, or broken english and new, younger drivers.

The only issue I have with this, is those people are usually willing to work for less, further driving down our wages. I talked to a guy today (I referred him to my company), I roughly told him what they are paying (which imo is less than what it should be). His response? He was happy they are paying that much, as he was working for less. Driving a tractor trailer used to be considered a skill. Now it's almost like a warehouse worker.

I want to clarify my statement about wages. I have no problem with my company, it's my industry that stinks. See customers say "I'm only going to pay this much". My company wants the buisness, and what company doesn't want customers, so they can only pay so much due to the quoted price.

[faralos]

Lansdale warehouse a local warehouse by me is advertising
that they need CLASS A drivers but only pay $10/hour for them!
 granted they are home daily but $10 an hour
is what the lumpers should be getting not the actual drivers!
I went due to me having a class B one and they told me yes they'd hire me
but at 8$/hour tops and I've have to load/unload my own truck by myself!
I walked out without applying

[Itchigo]

The lumpers should be getting more than that, they bust their ass. Spotters make more than that, and their considered a lower form of driver, as they aren't actually driving. Most spotters are retired drivers too! That's just wrong. This used to be a specialized skill, like a trade- hell, it IS  a trade! What this industry has become SUCKS!

[Rukia]

It's no longer a profession, it's slavery! 
 
Rukia

[faralos]

just applied for as driving spot with "Bestfriendsproduct"
 a pet food/wholesale store type of warehouse
 they actually offered me the highest hourly rate I have yet to see here in bumfuck Pa.
 they are offering $13.75/hr to start
but it is a LOT of heavy stuff that I would have to deliver to local warehouses/stores
pet foods, whether bagged or canned, shampoos, brushes stuff of that type
 I am still waiting for my lawyer to set up a date for my settlement but in the meantime
 I gotta' have some kind of income so I applied for the job
http://www.bestfriendproducts.com/
 now comes the waiting game...by next Tuesday I am to have an answer
whether I am to work for them or not
 I hope so as they offer  2 weeks  paid vacation after just 90 days of working for them!
they also cover ALL insurance on their drivers as well as EZpass for their trucks
 all of which are brandie new and automatics!
 they run from a 14' cube to the full sized vans (tractor trailers to the average layperson)
I have a CDL B w/ airbrakes so can drive everything except the trailers
Uniforms (11 sets no less!) are provided along with free laundry service
so I really hope I get this position as it's the only real job offer to come along in months
not including the staffing agencies all of which suck to put it nicely
yeah it's a bunch of  at times heavy hauling (breaking down a shrink wrapped pallet to go into a store on a hand truck)
 but the pay is good and the benefits rock!
also they have direct deposit
and a 401 k plan for the long term people
Gots me fingers crossed on this one...

[Itchigo]

Alright!

Yeah, hourly rates suck right now, as mine is the same it was 5 years ago. Typically those jobs pay more as they work the shit out of you. One thing you have to remember is benefits= pay. You might make 2.00$ more an hour- but pay all of your insurance as an example. Still the benefits sound decent. Cdl class A doing the same thing is about 20-22$ an hour here, depending on the company. Nice that you won't need haz_mat, as that's a whole nother can of worms (™). I dropped mine years ago, and I'm glad I did. The BS of maintaining one isn't worth it.

The nice thing about going to stores is most are closed for holidays. The customer I work for is open 24/7/365 as they make all the cutlery, plates, etc for all Pizza Hut,Mcd's, BK, Taco Bell restaurants in the country, nevermind foodservice stuff too.

http://www.pactiv.com/

Hope you get it, good luck!!

[Pintrepid]

Best of luck Faralos, hope that job comes thru for you.

[Itchigo]

So what happened? Did you get the job?

[faralos]

Of course not!
 Seems no one wants to hire a person who hasn't worked since Jan of 2011
I am so depressed today due to no one ever calling me back on ANY job interview
thanks though...

[Itchigo]

To be honest, I didn't expect much, due to your physical condition. Jobs like that beat the shit out of you.

I was depressed, I wanted to leave Marshall's more than life itself, and I got NO calls back- and I have skills too! I made one lead happen, and missed by one candidate- Director Of Operations.... I'd have been the HEAD  of the plant with 70 workers under me. Still pissed about that one......

[faralos]

can't be just my condition as I also applied to Mascaro and sons
 a garbage hauling company to operate a front end loader garbage truck'
 and they have not called back either
 all I had to do was drive the damn truck around Philly to empty dumpsters
NO handling at all involved but they also didn't call back with an answer
I am at a loss as to why no one is calling back with jobs
it's getting scary now since I don't know the reason why no one is calling back or hiring me
 as I still have NO income at all my gal is footing ALL my bills
and that is depressing enough

[Itchigo]

All I can say is follow up! Call and ask if you can- if they're still interested.

[Druadic]

I'm at work, I drive over to a guy who was looking for an empty trailer. Another driver comes up, and shows me a phone with and address on the screen. I say "yes, you're in the right place, go through that gate to dock 18". He looks puzzled. I say it again. He still looks puzzled, so I say "follow me, I'm going there". He still doesn't understand. After a minute or two, he finally gets it. I look at the driver I was talking to before, and say "see, THAT'S why we can't get a decent wage anymore". He's driving a tractor trailer, and doesn't know ANY english!! Sure, basic things like stop signs are universal, but what about detours, and things you actually have to READ!

So this is how low my profession has sunk. We take anyone and put them behind the wheel, because we can save money that way. For clarification, he wasn't hispanic, he was Russian.

Personally, I couldn't care less what you are. But If I come to your country, I'm expected to speak your language, excepting I'm a tourist. But if you work in any kind of industrial setting, you need to be able to understand enough english to know "the building's on fire- GET THE FUCK OUT"!! If that makes me a racist, well, who cares? Sounds like more uncommon sense to me.....

Yep yep yep. If I was to visit another country, I would at least have the respect to learn quite a bit of the language BEFORE I went there. I don't get it either Tim. If they come here, there SHOULD be a REQUIREMENT to learn English. I couldn't agree more.