In order to gain an understanding of why truck drivers decide to leave their positions, it is essential to consider both the external pressures they encounter and the internal motivations that drive them towards alternative career paths. While financial concerns have traditionally been identified as the primary driver behind turnover, They certainly are not the only reasons drivers leave the industry.
In this article, we will take a look at some of the more common reasons truck drivers end up leaving the industry.
Trucking Comes With a Demanding Schedule
Many new drivers that enter the trucking industry quickly discover that they are not suited to the long hours and erratic schedules that often come with trucking jobs. Truck drivers can and often do work up to 70 hours over a rolling eight-day period, but that does not tell the entire tale.
As a truck driver, you will also spend a lot of off-duty time waiting around at customers or sitting at the truck stop-killing time before leaving to head to your next appointment. While these hours do not count as on-duty hours for your 70, they make your workday longer.
Additionally, trucking often comes with an erratic schedule. Not only do you have to work long hours, but you might also have to switch back and forth between working nights and working days to make your appointments on time. This can be especially common in the reefer world, which has a lot of late-night and early-morning appointment times.
The long hours and erratic schedules typical in the trucking industry can be a bit too much to handle for many people, and it is one of the top reasons new drivers often leave the industry.
Low Pay
Truck drivers new to the industry in 2023 can expect to earn forty to about sixty thousand in their first year of trucking. When combined with the long hours and sometimes crazy schedule, many drivers find that the pay is not worth the job.
That is not to say you cannot make good money driving a truck. Many drivers make over 100k per year. You are not likely to make that when you are first starting. It takes some experience and picking the right trucking industry niche to make that kind of money.
Long Periods Away From Home
New drivers entering the OTR side of the industry often find that they dislike the long periods away from home. It is not uncommon for a driver to spend a minimum of three weeks out on the road before coming home and then only get three days at the house before having to go back out again.
Being away from home for extended periods means missing out on time spent with friends and family, social events, funerals, and many other things you wish you could attend. Many new drivers enter the industry only to find they can not cope with the long periods away from home, which causes them to quit truck driving altogether.
Family Issues
Being away for long periods can also raise issues with your family. Many new drivers end up leaving the industry after a short time because the extended periods away from home are putting a strain on their family relationships.
Trucking has been the cause of many divorces. It takes a special kind of person to be in a relationship with a truck driver. And on the flip side, not all truck drivers can handle being away from their significant others for an extended period.
Other family issues can arise as well. If a loved one is sick and you need to be there to care for them, you cannot do that as an OTR truck driver. Sick family members often cause drivers to step away from trucking, and many never return to life behind the wheel.
Mental Health Issues
This big one is not talked about as much as it should be. OTR trucking can mess with your head if you’re not well suited to the job.
Being an OTR trucker involves lots of time spent in isolation. In the past, I have gone several days without speaking to another human being. And even when you are around people, there is a good chance that you will never see them again, so making social connections doesn’t often happen for truck drivers.
While some drivers thrive in this type of environment, others suffer in it. Many new drivers find that trucking negatively affects their happiness and mental health and leave the industry to find a job that does not come with those side effects.
Physical Health Issues
Truck driving is a sedentary occupation in most cases that often comes with an abundance of poor food choices.
Many new truck drivers will rapidly gain weight when entering the trucking industry. Some will even find that they develop or aggravate health conditions that force them to leave the industry shortly after entering.
Obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, back pain, and many other health issues are common among truck drivers. These conditions force many new and experienced drivers out of the industry.
Health issues nearly forced me out of the industry. I had to make significant lifestyle and diet changes a couple of years ago, or I would not be in the industry today.
In addition, workplace injuries can also sometimes force a driver out of the industry, sometimes temporarily, sometimes for good.
Accidents Tickets and Inspection Violations
If you screw up your driving record badly enough as a truck driver, you have no choice but to leave the industry.
A bad wreck in a semi, a few too many violations on an inspection, or a serious ticket can all force a new driver out of the industry. Insurance companies have a big say in who can work in the industry. Drivers with bad records are high risk, and with that high risk comes prohibitive insurance costs, if they will even insure the driver at all.
Even several minor incidents in a short period can be enough to get a driver fired.
This also extends to things that happen in their personal vehicle. Get a DUI in your personal car when you’re on hometime, and you will lose your job. Get a speeding ticket for doing 20 over, and you will also likely be looking for a new job.
Trucking is a Stressful Occupation
Trucking is a surprisingly stressful occupation at times. Truck drivers deal with heavy traffic on a regular basis. Trust me when I say driving a semi-truck through a city like Atlanta can raise your blood pressure significantly, especially if it’s your first time.
Now add some heavy rain to that mix and make it around dusk or even after dark, and the stress factor begins to skyrocket as your visibility goes down.
Toss in a tight timeline, some worries about finding a spot to park the truck, and a broker or dispatcher calling wondering what your ETA is, and your stress levels can quickly reach a boiling point.
Not every load is like this, but stress factors are part of the game in trucking. Some people can adapt to them and, over time, learn to mitigate them with things like good trip planning. However, many drivers never really learn to accept and cope with the stresses of the job.
Many Drivers Feel They are Treated Poorly
Many drivers that enter the trucking industry feel like they are not treated well.
And some of them are not wrong. Many trucking companies are less than honest and will cheat drivers in any way possible. Some trucking companies also will try to force drivers to operate unsafe equipment or to skirt the hours of service laws.
I have largely been able to avoid this issue by looking into reviews and talking to other drivers before I choose to work for a new trucking company. I’ve picked wrong a couple of times, though. However, there are many trucking jobs out there, so in the few cases I have encountered where the company was not up to my standards, I quit and went and found a new job. And finding a new job is pretty easy to do in this industry.
This poor treatment can also extend to customers. Some customers will do everything they can to get you loaded or unloaded quickly, and you are back out the gate in 30 minutes, rolling to your next stop.
Not all customers are going to be like that, though. Especially if you enter the industry as refer driver. Long waits to get loaded or unloaded are common in the trucking industry. I’ve sat thirty-three hours waiting for what was supposed to be a preloaded trailer before. And I have sat in a dock with them while they slowly loaded or unloaded my trailer many times for 10-plus hours.
However, much of the supposed poor treatment at customers often comes down to the driver’s attitude and outlook. It won’t speed things up if you are grumpy with the person at the receiving window. They might get grumpy right back at you, or worse, “lose your paperwork” for a little while.
Conclusion
I don’t believe the driver retention problem is all the trucking industry’s fault. There are certain things that can be improved in the industry as a whole. Many individual companies, simply put, are terrible to work for. That can be said of any industry, though.
Many of the reasons that truck drivers quit or leave the industry all together come down to the truck drivers themselves. Many drivers enter the industry and find that trucking is not the right job for them. This is especially true of the truck drivers who work in the OTR side of the trucking industry.
While a career in trucking can come with some pretty decent financial rewards, it also comes with a unique lifestyle and some significant drawbacks. Some people enter the industry, find their stride, and thrive. Other drivers find the truck has become a prison. They can’t leave fast enough.