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"The job is not for everyone, that is for sure. To make money you need to be gone for fairly long periods of time and it's not an easy life, though there are thousands that love it. The industry is way over-regulated, supposedly for safety sake, but many of the regulations make the job and roads less safe than more. … Hours of service is a big issue….a driver knows when he's tired and needs a nap, but because of something called the 14 hour day, often times he's forced to drive when tired to get the product through.
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"Hours and hours can be spent at shippers and receivers that cut into that 14 hour day as well, often times without pay. There are many problems within the trucking industry that likely could be much better addressed by people who know and have experienced the business instead of those who sit in a nice office 8 hours a day. Until we see freight not being moved and rates come up because of it, a driver shortage is not near the top of the list of problems in the industry."
Your turn: Email rrollins@coxohio.com.
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