Get a Job As a Truck Driver in Today’s Economy

January 29th, 2010

In today’s job-hunting woes, those who want to go into truck driving still have an opportunity for employment.  Surprisingly enough, truck driver jobs are still in high demand.  The bigger truck driving companies like CR England and others hauling refrigerated freight is still hiring, even in today’s unemployment rate.

And to push the truck driving employment higher, AOL news reported back in December of 2009 that President Obama has a proposal package for new spending on highway, bridge, and infrastructure projects.  More Truck Driving jobs will be created to move equipment and building materials to the work sites.  This is very good news for the trucking industry.

Truck Driving jobs are a necessity for moving food and product from the warehouse to the store, making trucking a very vital part of the economic growth of the United States.  In fact, 78% of all food and product is shipped by truckers across the country.  With that piece of information, it gives us the realization that there will be truck driver jobs for a very long time.

The original AOL.com article can be found at: http://news.aol.com/article/president-barack-obama-to-outline-jobs/472387

Tags:
Posted in Trucking Jobs | No Comments »

4 Technology Must-Haves For Truck Driving Jobs

January 22nd, 2010

Truck driving technology is evolving just like all other fields.  Some gadgets make truck driving jobs easier and are favorites of the drivers and some are not. We were curious which ones were most liked.  We asked truck drivers what their top 4 favorites are and this is what they told us:

  1. GPS – is so popular, that many trucking companies have added it to their company trucks.  It is much easier than maps and most drivers won’t go back to reading the old fashioned way.
  2. Cell Phones – have changed trucking jobs for good.  No more pulling over for a pay phone to call their dispatcher for information.  And truckers can have contact with their families and friends more often.  Younger drivers don’t remember the days without cell phones.  They have no idea what it was like.  (Lucky them.)
  3. Laptop Computers – is a truckers line to information.  64% of those asked, felt that the laptop is one of the top 5 technologies needed for trucking jobs.  We feel that as each year goes by, the percentage of cabs with laptops will keep going up.  Life on the road without a laptop is hard to imagine for most people.   It is a huge segment of our communication to business, family, and friends.
  4. Satellite Radio – has been a great lifesaver for radio listeners in “dead radio spots” along the highway.  Not only do you have radio where radio was not, but a driver now gets their favorite station wherever they are in the country.  It is very rare that Satellite Radio loses signal and better yet, there are stations that are specific to the trucking industry.

What wasn’t on the list surprised us.  Digital Camera’s were not in the top 4.  Our thoughts are that they have been in existence for so long, it is not thought as new technology, but as old technology.  As a trucker, they have the rare opportunity to see the country on a continuous basis.  We are sure most drivers keep one in their cab.

Below are the results by percentage from all participants. The column with the % is of the percentage of participants that chose the technology item in the front of the row. An example is that 84.38%, had 54 votes, chose the I-phone/cell phone as one of their 4 favorite technologies for truck drivers:

Technology

Votes

%

iPhone/cell phone

54

84.38%

laptop

41

64.06%

gps

32

50.00%

Satellite Radio

30

46.88%

Truck driving technology is evolving just like all other fields. Some are favorites of the drivers, some are not, and we were curious which ones they liked. We asked truck drivers what their top 4 favorites are and this is what they told us:

  1. GPS – is so popular, that many trucking companies have added it to their company trucks. It is much easier than maps and most drivers won’t go back to reading the old fashioned way.
  2. Cell Phones – have changed trucking jobs for good. No more pulling over for a pay phone to call their dispatcher for information. And truckers can have contact with their families and friends more often. Younger drivers don’t remember the days without cell phones. They have no idea what it was like. (Lucky them.)
  3. Laptop Computers – is a truckers line to information. 64% of those asked, felt that the laptop is one of the top 5 technologies needed for trucking. We feel that as each year goes by, the percentage of cabs with laptops will keep going up. Life on the road without a laptop is hard to imagine for most people. It is a huge segment of our communication to business, family, and friends.
  4. Satellite Radio – has been a great lifesaver for radio listeners in “dead radio spots” along the highway. Not only do you have radio where radio was not, but a driver now gets their favorite station wherever they are in the country. It is very rare that Satellite Radio loses signal and better yet, there are stations that are specific to the trucking industry.

What wasn’t on the list surprised us. Digital Camera’s were not in the top 4. Our thoughts are that they have been in existence for so long, it is not thought as new technology, but as old technology. As a trucker, they have the rare opportunity to see the country on a continuous basis. We are sure most drivers keep one in their cab.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Truck Driving Jobs | 1 Comment »

Some Good News For the Teamsters and YRC

December 31st, 2009

Kansascity.com ran an article that has put YRC worldwide into the news. This time for a change the story may be something positive.

YRC representatives are saying that they have been able to negotiate extensions with there creditors. “The company will be open for business as usual on Monday,” said YRC spokeswoman Suzanne Dawson.

This is good news for the employees of the company here is that are going to be able to keep their jobs. Teamsters have argued that any bankruptcy for YRC could leave up to 30,000 people without jobs.

YRC also has said its lenders have extended certain key terms of its credit agreement to Jan. 11. This will keep their plans of a debt exchange on course keeping the company in business.

We will keep up on this issue because of the ripple effect that would take place if YRC were to fail. The original KansasCity.com article by Randolph Heaster can be found: http://www.kansascity.com/194/story/1657676.html?storylink=omni_popular

Tags:
Posted in Trucking News | 1 Comment »

Fast Food Solutions For The Holidays

December 29th, 2009

For a truck driver working holidays is very common. One thing that makes working on holidays incredibly hard is when you can’t find a place to eat. On holidays many places close and forget about the truck drivers that may be working.

If you’re a driver your only alternative may be to visit a fast food restaurant. Here are some places that serve slightly healthier menu items so you don’t have eat something dripping in grease like this chili burger.

Subway Restaurants
Probably the healthiest of all the fast-food chains, Subway offers a variety of sandwiches that are 6 grams of fat or less. Just ask the attendant and they will show you all the options. We suggest the turkey breast or Veggie sub loaded with crisp veggies and your favorite fat-free dressings and condiments.

Arby’s
With several salads and wraps on the menu, Arby’s offers a wide range of healthy alternatives to burger and fries. The healthiest? The chopped turkey club salad is loaded with roast ham, turkey, lettuce, chopped bacon, onion, tomato, and cheddar cheese and is only 233 calories without dressing.

Burger King
The famed Whopper Jr. burger is just 380 calories if ordered without cheese and mayo. But if you’ve ever ordered a Whopper Jr., you know how small they are! So to fill you up, also order their garden salad with chicken and a fat-free or reduced fat dressing.

Kentucky Fried Chicken
Yep! We just listed KFC. That’s because KFC now offers delicious grilled chicken! You can also order one of their healthy sides such as green beans, a side salad, corn on the cob, and rice. This can be way better for you than a box of Twinkies from the c-store.

McDonald’s
Like many of its fast-food counterparts, McDonald’s also offers a wide range of salads on its menu but steer clear of anything with fried chicken; instead, order your salads with grilled chicken. Other healthier options include the basic hamburger (just 250 calories) or the grilled Snack Wraps (just 260 calories).

Hope fully this list gives you some ideas for when you are out and about. We wish you happy holidays.

If you are currently looking for trucking jobs or trucking jobs with training , please visit the CREngland company website.

Tags:
Posted in Wellness | 1 Comment »

Heavier Trucks Can Wait

December 28th, 2009

Big yellow truckA few months ago we ran a news article that discussed the possibility of heavier trucks on highways. We came across an article this week in Minnesota’s Star tribune that discussed how heavier trucks on the road may not be coming any time soon despite political influences around the country.

In fact the article gives many reasons why increasing weight limits to nearly 100,000 pounds is not likely in the short term despite all the advantages. According to the article issues like road maintenance and bridge repairs all must take place before heavier trucks can be allowed on America’s highways. Bridge repairs are certainly a major issue in Minnesota after the tragedy of a few years ago when a bridge collapsed.

The article listed a pretty alarming number when it cam to the amount of money needed to bring roads up to speed. The article listed an infrastructure gap of over 1.5 trillion dollars in America.

The main reasons that many are behind the increase in allowable weight are often related to cost cutting. Issues like reduced fuel costs and reduced per-item shipping costs are at the top of the list along with reductions in pollution from those cuts.

This issue will be debated for quite a while. Here is address for the complete article from the start tribune: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/80027422.html?page=2&c=y

Tags: ,
Posted in Trucking News | 2 Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »