Long haul trucking has evolved significantly over the decades. Here’s two films from about 1950 or so that show how it was done at a time when it was a regulated industry, dominated by a few common carrier companies like Pacific Intermountain Express, the subject of this first film, West Coast, the subject of the second, and Consolidated Freightways.
Common carriers’ rates were fully regulated, as were the freight railroads back then, and the operations are a bit similar. These companies were vertically integrated, with their own shops where all service was carried out, including a complete overhaul of each tractor every 450,000 miles (about two years), including new paint.
The second set of films are on West Coast, another big firm covering the Western states. There’s more over-the-road footage, on several routes.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
They sure drove a lot more courteously back then than they do now.
A lot less horsepower, a lot less brakepower, a lot less traffic, a lot less distraction. A lot more consequence to any kind of crash.
On the other hand, a lot more drunk driving.
Long haul trucking today.
Something Oliver doesn’t mention in an otherwise-thorough piece is that the total available trucking capacity dropped substantially when electronic log books were made mandatory (meaning, it had been artificially increased by fudging the logbooks on an industry-wide scale, probably going back decades).
Over-enthusiastic proponents of autonomy is also a part of getting to the point where even companies looking to hire drivers as salaried employees can’t find them. Even in those cases, driving school at one’s own expense is the norm and why would anyone invest in training for a job that the robots are alreasy coming for?
” …driving school at one’s own expense…”
About 7 or 8 years ago I finally got my CDL, at my own expense and at a community college with 12 weeks of instruction and not at the type of driving schools that used to advertise extensively late at night and into the early morning. Our instructors used to laugh at those folks who took a 10-12 DAY course, with minimal on the road time.
After getting my CDL I posted my resume (meager as it was) online and got several dozen replies/offers. I selected a trucking company with a reasonably good reputation and that had 2 of its hubs in states where my folks lived and where I lived. When I got to my employee indoctrination, I discovered my new employer actually gave preference to the graduates of the ” quickee schools “.
A few months later I read why they were doing that: like many trucking companies, they were running their own school as I would think as a means of generating more income. In my community college class SEVERAL people never made it all the way through.
I also can’t help wondering if there is a shortage of drivers BECAUSE of the electronic ” aids “. If you are constantly monitored, even inside the cab of your truck, the kind of folks who like a bit of discretion will eventually just quit. And then there are the cases of ” GPS MALFUNCTION ” that send you on inadequate routes for your type of vehicle.
I don’t think electronic log books are causing a dearth of drivers. In fact, by actually limiting working hours in a verifiable way would make the job more attractive in my humble opinion. Maximum driving time in British Columbia is purportedly 13 hours and no more than 70 hours in 7 days.
That is still a lot of driving and pay is only for kms on the road.
I recall hearing about impending labour shortages 40+ years ago, as the Boomers retire. At least where I live, this wasn’t planned for and are seeing jobs going unfilled due to a lack of labour. This is especially problematic when professionals retire, as my family doctor recently did.
Again, this is where I live and it is probably different in other areas.
Similar to logbook hours here 14 hours max per day with 2 half hour breaks after 5 1/2 hours or where they fit your day but most company drivers are on hourly rate, and theres a big driver shortage here too
I can corroborate what John Oliver said here. My future brother-in-law “works” for FedEx, i.e. he’s paid a “salary” that works out to $10 a hour by a company that contracts with FE. He normally has about 150-175 stops a day and most of the time, his only day off is Sunday.
Really, 10 USD an hour in 2022? In 2000 I had a work in the summer holiday, similar to driving for FedEx, I got about 11-12 USD an hour here in Norway. Today the same kind of work will get you 28-30 USD an hour, saturday and sunday off, 8 hour days, 50% extra an hour if you have to work longer.
Anyone else remember “They Drive By Night” ? .
Bogey doing his thing .
-Nate
This was fun – thanks Paul. I especially enjoyed the PIE video with the dromedary trucks and the scenes of old Donner Pass (US-40) above Donner Lake. That section of road looks about the same today … it’s always worth a few extra minutes to get off I-80 and check out the lake view from above, and get back on the interstate a few miles down the road.
That place sounds like a real party!
Love the old promotional films! As for the man with the English accent, if you go to the YouTube link, you can read good comments on the abuse of employees.
I definitely remember PIE, Pacific Intermountain Express trucks. One of many long ago trucking lines lost to deregulation, I’m not sure if it was good or bad.
Regardless, while far fewer numbers, I kind of see trucking as a modern day factory job. A good, not great, but decent income can be made, with out a college degree or long trade school or apprenticeship program like the building trades, but still a decent income to live, marry and raise a family. Obviously a dual income family today, but that’s kind of universal, but doable. Not many of those jobs outside of law enforcement/detentions today with nothing beyond a HS diploma. And I know several people who were, let say, overindulgent in personal life, who have really gotten life together thru a trucking job.
Now this might all change if Musk and Tesla have their way with self driving trucks, but lots of the future is hard to predict.
Self driving trucks are pie in the sky stuff for the trucking industry here,Ive seen writeups on Teslas effort at a truck and its not very usefull, it accelerates fast which isnt really neccessary and pulls a tiny 80,000lbs ok it will have to do a lot better than that to be a mainstream truck.
Watched the first video. Noticed the enormous, black streaks “between the tires” down the center of the lanes on most of the highways.
God bless the PCV valve. No more oily, slimy highways due to “Road Draft Tubes”.
The trucks contributed a lot to that black streak on the highways, Detroit diesels with their air box drains contributing a steady oily mist, all diesels had road draft tubes until 2007 and the Detroit’s in particular were known oil leakers, not that the Cummins and Cats were oil tight either. Throw in the leaking trans output shaft seal and possible leaks at the three diff input and output seals. I would notice how the dark spots were a little larger right after a bump in the road shook another drip off the vehicles.