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Truck Driver Hiring Events: What to Bring and Expect

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Truck Driver Hiring Events: What to Know

Over the past several years, more and more trucking companies have executed truck driver hiring events nationwide. These are great opportunities for drivers to learn about open positions, interview on the spot, meet the company, and ask questions. If you haven’t attended a truck driver hiring event in the past, here is information about what to bring for the day and what to expect during the event.

What to Bring

truck driver resumeUpdated Resume

It’s important to have an updated copy of your resume that includes your relevant work history, contact information, licenses, skills, and achievements. There will likely be several other drivers there applying for the same position, so make sure your resume stands out!

Questions

Do you have questions about the position, requirements, or company? Is there something on the job description that is confusing? Write these questions down and bring them with you to receive answers on the spot.

What to Expect

Appointments and Walk-Ins Welcome

Although many hiring events encourage prior registration, most also welcome drivers who walk in to the event that day. You are also typically not required to stay for the entire event and can leave after you finish talking with the recruiter.

Truck Driver Hiring Events: What to KnowInterview and Meet the Recruiter

Typically when a company hosts a hiring event, you can expect to interview on the spot. This is not only an opportunity for you to meet the recruiter, but also a chance to share more about your background and career goals.

Recruiters will ask you questions about your previous work experience, why you want to work for the company, and what makes you a good candidate for the position. Be prepared to answer their questions! In addition, many hiring events do not require specific attire to attend. However, dressing professionally for an interview won’t hurt your chances of landing the job.

Position Details

Recruiters typically share details about the position including compensation, home time, equipment, benefits, qualifications, and more. This is a good opportunity for you to learn more details about the position instead of simply reading a job description. If the event is held on the company premise, recruiters might give a facility tour as well! This helps paint a day-in-the-life picture for you.

Application Assistance

If time allows, many virtual hiring events offer assistance for completing an application that day. This is a nice option if you have questions about the application or would like to further explain something on a resume. If this is not an option, the company might provide you with detailed information of how to apply after leaving the event.

Truck Driver Hiring Events: What to Bring and ExpectVirtual Options

Some companies also offer virtual hiring events for drivers in addition to in-person events. These virtual events are often held on Zoom or another video platform to allow for attendees to virtually meet the recruiter, ask questions, and discuss the open position. If you can’t attend a hiring event in person, check with the company to find out if there are other options available.

How to Find a Hiring Event

Trucking companies offering upcoming hiring events usually either advertise the event separately or mention the event in the job description. If there is a company you want to work for in the future, feel free to reach out to inquire about upcoming hiring events. That’s a great way to show initiative to the hiring managers!

Bonus: Two of Drive My Way’s customers have upcoming hiring events! Chat with us here to find out the details for the Republic Services hiring event and the NFI hiring event.

truck driver at loading dock

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Danger Lurking Ahead, Truck Drivers Beware of the Most Dangerous Roads

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Now that the holiday season is here, more and more vehicles are clogging the nation’s roadways, presenting an even tougher job for truck drivers on the road.  Zonar, a producer of smart fleet management technology, has compiled a list of the 10 most dangerous roads you should consider avoiding this time of year – and even the rest the year.

During the holiday season, there are about 36% more vehicles on the road, according to Zonar. Most of the increased traffic is made up of passenger cars (23%), delivery fleets (10%), and people-carriers, such as buses (3%), according to Zonar.  Winter weather and decreased daylight add to the stress of holiday travel. All this makes it even more dangerous for truck drivers.

Knowing which stretches of road are the most dangerous for trucks can help potentially decrease your chances of getting into an accident and help keep other drivers safe – by adjusting routes or schedules, varying driving times and loads, or increasing inspections and checkpoints.  And, you might be surprised to find that that there are roads list from every region of the country

According to the DOT, here’s a list based on total accident volume between 2013 -2016:

  1. I-10 in Alabama
  2. I-95 in Florida
  3. HWY-75 in Idaho
  4. I-40 in Arkansas
  5. US-1 in Florida
  6. M-20 in Michigan
  7. I-80 Nebraska
  8. HWY-5 in Colorado
  9. I-70 in Maryland
  10. SC-35 South Carolina

For more great articles like this and to get matched with jobs that fit your lifestyle, create a free driver profile on our site.

Image from Zonar.

 

Trucker Pay Increase on the Horizon

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“With freight demand climbing and rates on the move, trucker pay should rise in the coming months”, says Gordon Klemp, a driver pay analyst and president of the National Transportation Institute. Klemp shared his prediction in a conference call with investors in early November.  Stifel, an investment firm, hosted the call and distributed a recap of Klemp’s remarks.

If carriers secure rate increases in contracts with shippers, they pass some gains on to drivers, Klemp told investors.

He didn’t forecast any percentage-based increases in driver pay. Instead, he noted that driver pay increases with freight rates. Not all of the gains in per-mile rates will translate to drivers’ paychecks, but “driver pay is moving up alongside the freight increases,” notes the conference call recap distributed by Stifel.

Though carriers consistently increased driver pay in recent years, driver wages climbed only 6.3 percent on average over the last decade. “For-hire drivers lost effective purchasing power over the past 10 years and adjusted lifestyles accordingly,” says Stifel’s report.  Looking even farther back, driver wages are in effect just half of what they were in 1979, before deregulation, said Klemp.

Klemp also noted that carriers face an uphill battle in recruiting younger drivers to the industry.

These drivers “disinclined to enter” trucking, “as they are often concerned with work-life balance”.  Nearly 60 percent of the current driver workforce is older than 45. That’s a good bit higher than 1994, Klemp noted, when just 45 percent of drivers were 45 years or older.  “However, with freight demand strengthening and the driver shortage becoming acute, the stage is set for drivers to realize driver pay increases over the foreseeable future,” says Stifel’s report.

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Man becomes ‘best friends’ with trucker after rescuing him from burning rig

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livetrucking.com

A man who ran towards a fire to save a trucker stuck in his burning rig last month says God put him there to rescue the driver. The wreck happened last month in Albany, Oregon, but the two still visit each other frequently as the truck driver continues to recover.

According to Statesman Journal, truck driver Terence Jay Shaw was driving on northbound Interstate 5 on the morning of September 1st when he lost control and crashed into an overpass. The force of the impact set his rig on fire and the truck erupted into flames.

As the truck burned with Shaw still inside, Chuck Zeitler came upon the wreck from the southbound side of I-5. Zeitler saw the flames and heard someone screaming for help, so he laid down his motorcycle and rushed to the scene of the fire, pushing through a crowd of people videoing the incident on their phones.

Zeitler ran up to the truck and pulled Shaw out of the burning wreckage and away from the fire. The truck then exploded.

A Lasting Friendship is Formed

Since then, Shaw has been recovering in the burn unit at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, where Zeitler visits him frequently.

Image from livetrucking.com.

“We’re best friends now, only because my relief was stuck in traffic, so I had to wait for him to arrive.  If I’d have left at the regular time, I never would have happened upon the wreck.”

– Zeitler humbly explains how circumstances led him to rescue the trucker and gain a best friend.

 

Despite the praises from the Shaw family, Zeitler shared God put him in the right place at the right time. He simply acted on his instincts after 24 years as a Navy boiler operator.

Zeitler is an elder member of Fusion Faith Center in Albany and recently became a pastor.  He plans on opening a church for bikers soon, as he believes it is his “calling.”

Shaw is still recovering from the wreck. He has had multiple skin grafts on his right arm and side and currently has 23 stitches.

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The Truck Driver Who is the Ace of Bass

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Jazz, blues, folk, rock, Bill “GS” Bass can play it all. He grew up in a musical family where if you had an instrument you played it, and if you didn’t have an instrument, you improvised. Bass took to bass guitar as a kid growing up on Long Island. He liked it so much he took the name of the instrument as well.

While Bass first started strumming in sixth grade, his passion for bass guitar has stood the test of time. He’s had a CDL trucking job since the 1990s. Today he drives part-time for Roehl Transport and spends his home time jamming with other musicians at clubs in Phoenix, Ariz.

Bass

Bass’s truck

“Every song you play is not going to be perfect,” Bass says. “The goal is to have a good time onstage and hopefully that energy spreads to the audience.”

When he’s in his element, the audience can see Bass’s passion unfolding in real time. To be good, you should understand music theory, have the right timing and have a good ear, he says.

Bass strives to bring all of that to his own performance whenever he plays. If he succeeds, the audience will feel it as much as he does.

bass-jamming-nice

“You want to be able to feel the music in time and be an ensemble player,” Bass says. “For a bassist, the drummer is usually your best friend onstage. You tend to play off of those rhythms.”

When it comes to shining moments, one special moment especially stands out for Bass. He was jamming at Pho Cao in Scottsdale, Ariz., when a special guest stopped by. It was legendary drummer Jerome Teasley, who made a name for himself playing with Jimi Hendrix, Tina Turner and Motown greats.

“That was a proud moment for me,” says Bass of jamming with Teasley. “As far as having  a moment where ‘Oh my gosh, it can’t get any better than this,’ that would definitely be it.”

 

bass-band

Bass has played in several bands over the years. They’ve run the gamut from jazz to rock. But those days are over. Bass prefers to cut loose in jam sessions and get caught up in the revelry of the moment.

“My friends are my mentors,” he says. “They’re exceptional players, and I aspire to play like them. A lot happens in jam situations. You play onstage with three or four other people, nobody knows what’s going to happen.”

Are you a truck driver with a creative talent? We’d love to hear about it. Connect with us on Facebook here and tell us about it.

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7 Things to Consider Before Becoming a Commercial Truck Driver

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thenewswheel.comAre you considering a Commercial Truck Driver job? It can be a gratifying career for sure, but not everyone can handle long hours on the road every day.

Here are seven great points to consider if you’re weighing a career as a commercial truck driver, as published on the website Newswheel.com.

1. Before even considering starting a career as a truck driver, ask yourself if you enjoy driving.

If you have a regular driver’s license and you hate driving, you will likely hate being a truck driver. Before you put the time and effort into this career, you should make sure it’s something you will enjoy.

2. Before embarking on a career as a truck driver, be sure you are physically and mentally able to sit for several hours.

You could be driving for hours before you get to your first stop. If you are unable to handle sitting that long, your career will be a short one.

3. Depending on the company you start driving for, you could be responsible for loading and unloading your truck.

This can be very physically demanding. If you have any health issues that prevent you from lifting anything heavy, you may want to consider a different career path.

4. Most people will not be able to get behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler and just start driving.

You will need to learn how to drive a truck before you can consider a career doing so. When you go to truck driving school, you will learn everything you need to so that you can safely drive your truck in even the most congested areas. You will also learn about safety and the rules of the road that apply to 18-wheelers.

5. No company will hire you to drive trucks for them if you don’t have your heavy vehicle license.

Most areas require that you take a written test and have your permit to drive a tractor trailer. You will likely need to hold your permit for a specific period of time before you can take the test for your license. When you take your test, you will need to go driving with an instructor. If you do well and pass the test, you will get your license to drive an 18-wheeler.

6. Some people who have received their license choose to work 40-hour a week.

In this scenario, you can go into work, take your truck out, do your job, return your truck and then go home. Some people want a different type of career, choosing to drive very long distances, which keeps them away from home for days or weeks at a time.

7. The final step to becoming a commercial truck driver is to find a good job.

Your driving school may offer job placement. You can also find companies online who are hiring.

Working as a commercial truck driver can be a very rewarding career. As long as you know a few tips for becoming a commercial truck driver, you should be well on your way.

Looking for a trucking job yourself? Find the right CDL trucking job for you with Drive My Way. Register today. It’s free!

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You’re a truck driver? Be proud of it.

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Be proud of your CDL trucking job!Live Trucking writer Carla Grace recently published an article that had an inspiring message for a CDL truck driver.

Grace writes:

Not many can endure the life of a trucker, but truck drivers do it together, as a community. They do it because they are the force that drives this great nation.

Grace cites a video by Texomatic Pictures and filmmaker Tex Crowley. She quotes the video saying:

Truckers are the suppliers of human necessity, be it the food we eat, materials to build our homes, or the clothing we wear.

At Drive My Way, we know how important CDL truck drivers are. Check out this video highlighting the American truck driver and share it with your friends.

Like this video? Give us a like on Facebook.

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For Pets in Need, One Truck Driver Rides to the Rescue

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Man Uses CDL Trucking Job to Rescue Animals

David Binz with Spartacus

David Binz is a longtime owner operator leased to Alaska West Express. His CDL trucking job requires that he move mining, construction and oil field equipment, day-in, day-out.

But, as a volunteer for Kindred Hearts Transport Connection, Binz also moves more precious cargo—pets in need. For Binz, who’s ridden shotgun with his own dog, Izzy, for 10 years, rescuing animals is a privilege. Binz likes Kindred Hearts for its compassion. Overall, it works to place orphaned animals with caring owners nationwide.

To date, Binz has placed 111 pets in need in the hands of caring owners along his trucking routes.

And while he typically moves cats and dogs, he’s also transported birds, gerbils—even a potbelly pig.

“I’ve been known to transport four or five animals at a time,” says Binz. “I draw the line at snakes. I will not move snakes.”

Kindred Hearts has nearly 30,000 volunteers around the country, though few of them are people with CDL trucking jobs.

The group posts upcoming runs on its Facebook page, and if one of them fits with Binz’s route, he lets the administrators know.

Also, Binz recalls the time he moved a military macaw bird. “That one was kind of unusual for me,” Binz says. “It would tell me I was on the telephone too long and that I needed to hang up.”

Man Uses CDL Trucking Job to Rescue Animals

Binz and a pit bull rescue

Meaningful Mission

Transporting the animals “means a lot to me,” Binz says. “It allows me to give back to society. If you have a 9-to-5 job, you have a lot of ways to give back, but those options are not out there for truck drivers. This is one thing I can do as a truck driver to make a difference.” These days, Binz rides with Izzy and Spartacus, a rescue dog he hasn’t yet found a home for.

Kindred Hearts is a natural fit for Binz, a lifelong animal lover who grew up on a horse farm. His son trains wild mustangs in the summer, and when Binz gets home time, he helps his son find loving owners for the horses. To transport animals as he does, “you’ve gotta love an animal,” Binz says. “No matter what the animal does, you have to be able to love it. If a dog craps in the middle of your bed, you have to clean the mess up and love the dog.”

PetSmart Partnership

When he’s on the road, Binz relies on PetSmarts all over the country for help. He buys pet food there and uses their training rooms to give dogs off-leash exercise.

Man uses his CDL trucking job to rescue animals

Izzy, right, befriends a dog Binz was transporting.

“I love PetSmart,” Binz says. “They always cut me a break on the bill for bathing the dogs. In the winter, when the weather’s really nasty, they let me bring my dogs in and they can run around and play.”

Binz admits he gets attached to the animals he rescues. “You end up crying a little bit sometimes,” he says. “Sitting there for an hour and reflecting. You have to say, ‘OK, I helped that one. Now it’s time to go help another.’”

 

Are you an owner operator looking for steady, reliable work?  Click here to learn how Drive My Way can help.

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Bosnian refugee lives the CDL truck driving American Dream

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A story about entrepreneur Samir Latic was recently published in the Macomb Daily, and it’s a story we hope those with CDL trucking jobs will feel inspired by.

Refugee entrepreneur starts own cCDL carrier companyLatic was a refugee from Bosnia, and writer Gina Joseph tells his journey of becoming “one of the biggest small companies in the trucking business.” Latic’s CDL truck driving story began when he arrived at the Detroit, Michigan airport, Joseph writes. The industrial community he settled in, Hamtramck, wasn’t the idyllic landscape of his American dreams. But it promised a new beginning.

Hamtramck had a community of Bosnians who arrived before them.

One family even took them in until they were able to buy their own home. The brothers also found work and not long after purchasing a home were able to buy a semi-truck.

“I wanted to drive a truck and save as much money as I could and go back to school,” Latic said, holding onto the idea of becoming a dentist.

But one truck led to two trucks, some good contracts and by 2004 the brothers were in the trucking business. Despite his day job, however, Latic managed to squeeze in enough classes at Wayne State University to earn a bachelor’s degree in public affairs and a master’s degree in international relations.

Latic has been in the trucking industry for 11 years now.

His company, Midwest Freight Systems of Warren, has more than 200 trucks and employs more than 250 people, 40 percent of whom are refugees. Joseph quotes Latic as saying:

“Follow your dreams, stay the course and you will get there. I don’t think we as a family would have been able to do what we’ve done anywhere but in the United States.”

Even though Latic came to America hoping to be a dentist, he was still able to create a new life for himself and his family. Read more about Latic and his journey on the Macomb Daily here.

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6 things that will make you a happier and more successful truck driver

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If you want to be successful, work yourself into a frenzy. Or so we’ve been led to believe, anyway.

But one psychologist, Emma Seppala, says something quite the opposite in her new book, “The Happiness Track: How to Apply the Science of Happiness to Accelerate Your Success.” Business Insider highlighted Seppala’s Top 6 pointers for living a happier, more successful life.

The good news is, Seppala’s pointers are easy enough for all of us to do, anyplace, anytime. So the next time you’re working at your CDL trucking job, try to work some of these approaches into your day. You’ll be happy you did.

1. Live in the moment

In today’s working world, we’re encouraged to work nonstop in order to stay on top of everything. We’re also constantly checking things off our to-do lists. But research suggests that when we’re focused on the present, we’re much more productive and more charismatic.

2. Be resilient

If we can train ourselves to be more resilient to the setbacks in our lives, we’re more likely to bounce back from them, a 2004 study suggests. The study found that resilient people were able to recover faster (as measured by their heart rate and blood pressure) when they used positive emotions to respond to a stressful experience.

3. Keep calm

In 2014, Seppala and her colleagues conducted a small study of 21 veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Half of them were assigned to do breathing meditation, and the other half received no intervention. The group that did the meditation reported lower PTSD symptoms and anxiety a month and even a year later.

4. Do more of nothing

In Western society, we have this ingrained notion that we need to constantly be doing something, or we’re not being productive. But in fact, research suggests that we are most creative when we’re not at our peak alertness. The findings suggest that we’re at our mental best when we’re not especially alert or focused. So if we want to be creative, we need to give ourselves more time off.

5. Be good to yourself

Research suggests that a fear of failure can lead you to choke up, make you more likely to give up, and lead to poor decisions such as cheating or making questionable investments. It may also make it harder to pursue the career you want. Instead, Seppala said, be kind to yourself and observe your negative thoughts from a distance without letting yourself really dwell on them.

6. Be compassionate

Finally, we often assume that we should be looking out for ourselves first and foremost. But in fact, research suggests that you’re better off nurturing supportive relationships with others. If you have good relationships with your boss, colleagues, or employees, you’re more likely to inspire loyalty, which in turn makes everyone more productive, Seppala said.

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