There are a ton of drivers sitting around waiting for freight. I know when I’m sitting around, I’m looking for a company that has the freight. The problem is, recruiters lie and will tell you they have the freight and will keep you moving. You jump to another carrier and find out they have the same problem as everyone else.

ATA says driver turnover on the rise
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The driver turnover rate for large truckload and less-than-truckload carriers increased during the first quarter of 2007, marking their highest turnover rates since the end of 2005.Large TL driver turnover posted a 116 percent annualized rate for the 2006 first quarter. Turnover peaked at 136 percent for large TL carriers during the 2005 fourth quarter.
“The softer freight demand contributed to the increase in large TL driver turnover,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “Nearly 80 percent of the large carriers in our sample saw their number of employee drivers fall during the period. In some cases, the drivers that left were not replaced, due to soft and choppy freight levels.”

Even LTL carriers that brag about their low turnover rates are cutting back.

The LTL market, by comparison, reduced overall employment during the 2007 first quarter by 1.6 percent.

Not as bad, but the cutbacks are still there.