Online Verification

                        When it comes to the wide range of trucking companies, those who work in recruiting truck drivers are aware of many different carriers. Whether a driver’s past experience is with a larger carrier like CR England or Swift and all the way down to the smaller contractors and mom & papa transportation carriers. There is difference in how trucking companies look at drivers and their past employment history.

                       Most mid-sized to larger trucking companies require some form of verification proving a driver drove OTR, across all 48 states and years of claimed experience. Systems like DAC keep a list of a driver’s past employers. If you have a poor work record and believe it won’t catch up with you, think again. Accident, incidents and any actions reported to a trucking company’s safety department will reflect on driver’s DAC Report. Hit a deer on the road? Well it gets reported too!  It is basically up to the next company you’ve applied with on what they find acceptable and unacceptable.  For those drivers coming from smaller companies and applying at bigger carriers. It’s important to keep records like W2s and paycheck stubs. Smaller carrier are harder to find, reach for employment verification and go out of business. You might want to think about getting the owner's contact info before leaving the company and leaving on good terms always helps.

                         If you or any driver is looking to see what’s on their DAC record before applying for the next driving position, get your info Here and see what’s on your record. While reviewing your records you happen to find false information, click Here and find how you can take action. In conclusion size does matter and where you’ve driven before. If you are somewhere in between, apply at FlorilliTransportation and at least the very least you’ll get a free DAC report!

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One size doesn’t fit all

            Numerous publications mention the climate change within the transportation industry. Driver shortages heighten DOT checks, lower driving wages and new restricting government regulations. Trucking’s future looks bleak and uncertain. Unfortunately for drivers when changes sweep across the trucking industry a snowball affect takes place and drivers are hit the hardest and last.

           According to CCN’s Money salary calculator which compares salaries between different locations within the United States, where you live verses where you work makes the world of difference.  If you are looking at moving from let’s say Atlanta Georgia to Bergen-Passaic NJ. If you make $50,000 a year in Atlanta, you’d need to make $65,000 annually to live like you did Georgia.  What does all this mean for drivers?

    

         Randall Riley Reports there are 30,000 open driving positions across the country. If you have a clear MVR and are safety conscience, we are in need of a few good drivers. When looking at prospective trucking companies, it’s important to look at where they are located at.  Trucking companies typically pay the same to all their employees’ regardless of driver’s state of origin. Meaning if you live in Dallas Texas and you’ve just accepted a driving position with company located in rural Kansas. It might not work out. Understanding the difference between Kansas’s and Texas’s cost of living numbers might provide clarification on whether the driving position is worth your time and will give you the money to keep trucking. 


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Crawl, Walk, Run 

              

                         We at Florilli Transportation solely hire company drivers but wanted to offer insight on the pros and cons of being a owner operator. Before signing that lease to become an owner operator and making what you think is the big bucks. You might want to consider a few things.  As in any career there is a progression.  Learning the basics before taking on the responsibility of being an owner operator may increase your success rates or change your mind about becoming one.  

                        When it comes to repairs, general maintenance, and system upgrades Owner Ops are paid higher wages compared to regular company drivers, to cover these types of costs. Meaning if you blew the money before it breaks, you should probably look at becoming a company driver and let Florlli take care of the big details. Attention to detail goes a long way before/after pulling out the yard.  An article published by Heavy Duty Trucking states CSA (Compliance, Safety and Accountability) guidelines have placed heavy demands and changes on the trucking industry in general. Owner operators are taking the majority of the hit in the name of safety and money. Twenty years ago over 50% of Owner Ops bought new trucks, today only 20% when replacing equipment.                            

                          On the flip side, company drivers for the most part rely on their employer for support. Yet in the course of a breakdown, when miles aren’t being accumulated, wasted time is lost money.  Another appealing factor of being an owner ops is personal ownership. Meaning people typically take better care of equipment personally owned verses those who are just borrowing it. Regardless of your decision, trucking isn’t going anywhere. For those just starting out, it wouldn’t hurt to become a company driver at Florilli Transportation. If you can maintain one of Florilli’s trucks as if it were your own, then maybe you’ll become one heck of an owner op. If you don’t care from the beginning of your career, your bad habits will be hard to break and eventually catch with you. Simply stated, you either sink or swim as an owner operator and only the best swimmers survive. 

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Not Much has Changed?

The way employers and job seekers activity look for work has changed.  The days of swinging by, filling out a paper application and the chance at a Face to Face with the hiring manager is a thing of the past. Today majority of employers have applicants go through third party online recruiting companies or links directing applying members to fill out online applications. So what does this mean for those of us who remember a simpler time?

To better understand the process here are a few things to consider while filling out that online application. For starters verifying a driver’s past employment history is accessible through DAC and other online data bases like it.  Your word as your bond verifying past work history isn’t good enough. The downside is that smaller companies are required to pay fees for these online reporting services. Drivers coming from smaller companies may find it harder to get their past work history verified. Depending on your relationship with smaller companies during your time of departure, burned bridges are still visible. Meaning if things weren’t good when you left, it will most likely follow you and trucking companies take the word of other transportation companies before the drivers.

Lastly with safety concerns for motorist on the raise driving records are easily accessible  and for the most part accurate. How can you find out what’s on your driving record for free? Apply for a truck driving job with Florilli Transportation and find out more. Overall not much has really changed with the exception of better record keeping and an increase of wide spread communications via the Internet.  Simply stated, it’s harder to hide.

Connect with us on Facebook, look for our next three part posting, 'Owner Operator verses Company Driver’, and as always we appreciate all of our viewers and drivers. 

Why Facebook
Online Perception

Like it or not, Facebook has changed the way we communicate in the 21^st century. Checking news feeds, watching your favorite videos and commenting on your favorite statuses and posts. Facebook has given us a chance to connect with others in ways never predicted. There are also unintended consequences associated with its growing presence such as depression and cyber bullying.

According to an article published by NPR, in 2014 trucking was one of the most common jobs in the United States.  Since trucking is commonly found across most 50 states. In terms of it being a competitive market is less likely. However it’s a flooded market lacking millennials replacing baby boomers and your Facebook’s appearance can play a role in the hiring process for younger drivers.  Research and an article published by LisaBaragar states in 2013 only 39% of employers where using social compared the increase of 52% in 2015. As younger drivers start reporting to CDL and trucking schools across the country, millennials make up the majority of social media users.  From a recruiting standpoint, researching a candidate’s profile can reduce hiring costs and gives employers another screening resource. For example an employer finds your Facebook and photos suggesting the profile’s owner uses drugs. It simply saves costs verses getting a driver to orientation and then popping hot on a drug test.

Whether you agree or disagree with technology, how it’s used and social media’s influence. It isn’t going away any time soon and how things used to be is the past.  Cleaning up your profile, changing privacy settings, and managing your online appearance can’t hurt while job hunting. Lastly before you decide to post those late-night  photos of you drinking or an emotion status, once it’s posted there will always be record of it. How do you want others to perceive you?

Connect with us on Facebook, look for our final posting, 'Online Job Applications’ of our 3 part section, ‘The Internet, Fact or Fiction', and as always we appreciate all of our viewers and drivers. 

The Internet Fact or Fiction
Part 1, The Source

                 

                   If it’s online then it must be true, right? Never before has the Internet given us the freedom to tell others what we may think of particular products, persons or locations.  Social Media sites like Facebook are known for users sharing their opinions and feelings on a variety of topics and subjects. However there are a wide number of reactions ranging from positive to negative and what’s right or wrong is merely matter of opinion or even money.

                  

                 Job hunting and trying to find the best employer without a visual, we turn to the internet for advice.  Google searches, employer reviews on sites like Glassdoor, Indeed and even Facebook are just a few places we commonly look.  The problem with Google in an article published by Search Engine Watch is that 92% of all garnered traffic is on the first page and drops to 27% of users clicking page 2. Meaning, we typically don’t bother looking too far. Google Ranking and businesses reaching the first page when for example a user is googling ‘Transportation’, getting a business to pop up first takes hiring an Ad Agency, a sizable ad budget and one heck of a SEO campaign. Meaning it isn’t always the truth.

               

                So what does this all mean for you? When looking at transportation companies and trucking in general there a few things to take into consideration. For starters when reading a review, find the website’s "about" section and read who and what makes them qualified to make the claims on their site. Would you take medical advice from a website who says they aren’t real doctors and it clearly says under their about section? Secondly, find out if you can, who wrote the review and come up with a better conclusion. For example click on a Facebook review, find their profile and suddenly you realize its a fake profile. How creditable is that source? Lastly, when clicking on a website, and there seems to be agenda, for example everything is overly negative, positive and/or even slanted towards one side. Take a further look, read multiple opinions or websites, and most importantly make an informed decision based off your research, not just from a complete stranger.

        Connect with us on Facebook, look for our 2^nd posting Why  Facebook’ of our 3 part section, ‘The Internet, Fact or Fiction', and as always we appreciate all of our viewers and drivers.