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Finding qualified help

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,436
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Still get random mail as to Have I still got my Class A, we are desperate, a few emails on occasion but not answering them. In town local Concrete company is seriously dragging bottom where are three drivers short to make their daily schedule work. Plant Manager runs a few loads, are partners in the lumberyard so as can will take the delivery drivers to get work accomplished. They asked me once to apply, yard owner did not care to hire a Ameren Retiree, so will NOT call me, am glad so do not have to tell him 'NO'.

Do not see this correcting or getting any better any time soon. Grain haulers here are not paying squat and get what they pay for, guys drive a short time find a better pay check and POOF out of there.
 

mowingman

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Messages
1,228
Location
SE Ohio
Occupation
Retired
I have found that folks with Class A CDL are in great demand, but, companies only want full time employees. I think they should consider hiring retirees who only want to work a couple of days/week. The same situation occurs for those of us who are experienced equipment operators also. Owners want someone who will work 50 or 60 hours/week, and will not hire any retirees who only want to work a couple of days/week. I think they are missing out on a good workforce here. Sure, they might have to work on scheduling some, but they could get a highly experienced, mature worker who might actually get something done on the job, and who would likely stay for a whole job, if not for years.
Jeff
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,486
Location
Mo
Recession or not i am not going to be were i am at next winter. One of the drivers was bitching about me not working 2 shifts. I did bring some work home what a mess.
 

AzIron

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2016
Messages
1,541
Location
Az
I have tried to hire 3 retired guys that wanted to operate in the last year and a half the 3rf one I will cut a little slack to he backed out a week before he started because of covid and his wife is immune suppressant so I get that

The other 2 were decent operators one said our work was to demanding a pace at 3 days a week I said how about 2 he really only wanted to work 1 day a week it's not worth it for 1 day it causes me more headaches than solves the other wanted to work 2 or 3 weeks and then be gone for at least 2 weeks possibly 3 weeks at a time

Guys I was willing to pay competitive and be workable but I am burned on retirees cause as much as I have always heard what a crap generation I am part of I was shocked no one wanted to work and the difference is they dont need to work they want to work out of boredom

I get that at 65 your body wont let you do what it would at 50 even but once the novelty of work wore off witch was about 2 to 3 weeks they had nothing to keep them there and work became work

On another note a family friend helped on the ethanol line for 3 months at 10 plus hours a day he is 74 and I have known him my whole life he was one heck of an operator until about 8 years ago when complications from agent orange gave him ceasurs now he has a hard time driving and sometimes walking but he was there because he knew I was counting on him and was pushing brooms moving barricades and any other menial task that needed done cause he was having fun with our crew witch his grandson was on so he had a reason to come in
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,436
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Strange events during my current employ. Last fall another of this firms drivers was delivering a load of road rock to a customer, was on crushed stone county road with fairly steep shoulder to ditches and was approached by an oncoming car that would not yield center of road so he eased as far to right as he considered could where shoulder failed and truck rolled to its side. Insurance was going to pay for repairs IF repairable, then after two months came back stating "Driver was beyond an age where good judgement was capable, are declining to pay for damages", he was 78 and retired directly after the incident.

That stated the insurer and others contacted to insure the company equipment all stated that the company risks losing insured value/compensation should ANY Driver or Operator be Over 71 years of age. Did NOT matter to them if these personnel could pass the tests and had clean records, would no longer cover the machines for aged drivers.

Out of all the drivers and Operators only eight of 30 are Under 50, several (Close to a dozen)of us are Medicare eligible and nearly half have retired from somewhere else. Nobody under twenty five has applied to the company in two years, several 30 year olds applied but when were explained a drug test required never showed back up.
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,486
Location
Mo
I dont agree with the insurer how could the make up a rule on the spot to get out of paying ? I got in a deal with a insurance cpmpany i got rear ended at a light they said i was backing up. I got a lawyer he was worthless i never got a dime for my totaled car. If i ever win the lottery i would find a lawyer and make them pay something.
 

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
The insurance company, depending on the state, is well within its authority to deny coverage to anyone. What they aren't allowed to do is deny a claim based on arbitrary facts. A call to an attorney that is well versed in claims would likely stir the pot enough to get some kind of settlement.

The issue of age of drivers is a pretty sticky one. One of my uncles retired several years ago and after a bit of time he also got bored. He hired on to drive a truck during harvest time for a local farmer. They don't know what happened, but one day he didn't make it from the field back to the farm and they went out looking for him. They found the truck off the road and him still in the driver seat slumped over the steering wheel dead. I don't know about how the insurance handled that issue but do know that he probably shouldn't have been driving that truck. I'm pretty sure the insurance company would have thought so also.
 

Birken Vogt

Charter Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
5,305
Location
Grass Valley, Ca
How many people have ever had an insurance company pay out without a fight?

My feeling at the moment is that insurance is for when you are forced to have it by some outside entity, and otherwise has to be counted totally worthless.

I suppose standard auto and homeowners' insurance are the exception sometimes, since the damage to reputation would be too great if they never paid.
 

cuttin edge

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2014
Messages
2,692
Location
NB Canada
Occupation
Finish grader operator
How many people have ever had an insurance company pay out without a fight?

My feeling at the moment is that insurance is for when you are forced to have it by some outside entity, and otherwise has to be counted totally worthless.

I suppose standard auto and homeowners' insurance are the exception sometimes, since the damage to reputation would be too great if they never paid.
Might be just how the laws differ between Canada and the US, but I have never had an issue with insurance companies paying. Wife's young fella tried to put my Mustang in the river. The police held the car for 2 weeks, said they wanted to investigate. I knew the guy that owned the impound lot, he said the cops never went near it. Finally my insurance company got it released, and the adjuster wrote it off the same day. Got a cheque next day for way more than it was worth. My insurance rate stayed the same, but the young fella's went up to about $5000 for liability ins. A couple years later the passengers mother sued my insurance for mental anguish. My liability only went up to a million. I had to pay the extra $36000. I have since upped my liability to 5 million. My home insurance is about $1800.00 a year, and my auto for one vehicle is a little over $700.00 for full coverage. Now I do know instances where insurance companies have ordered people to replace their roof, because it was 25 years old, or risk being dropped. Depends on the companies too. My home owners crept up to $2400, which I thought was crazy. My broker changed companies and saved me over $1000. In Canada, insurance companies are regulated by the government, and have to apply for any major rate hikes. My old company, Aviva, had been the first to get the go ahead. She said it was only a matter of time before the rest get theirs. She also said that the policy I had with Aviva was a high end policy. My house burns, they put me in an appartment, and hand me the keys when my place is done. My new company probably won't be that easy.
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,436
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
I do not understand how they can either but a contacted attorney stated they can get away with this. They cannot deny coverage to damages to anyone else's property but can deny coverage to what was insured.

Found out this last week that nearly every trucking company around Mid MO that I speak to drivers from is getting similar response letters, Cautioning as to drivers being TOO OLD to be behind the wheel as to Reflexes, Vision Quality, even Ability of Quick Decision making was noted to these employers. My own insurer stated Rental Agencies have for years Declined to accept persons over 71 years of age as renter as too much chance for damage, he is already passed there and could NOT get a rental car under his own name when last vacationed, his wife had to(Four years younger). My previous employer has now adopted a Mandatory Retirement policy of 68 years of age, will not even allow part time contractor duty of anyone beyond that.

Employer's attorney said fight would cost a fortune and could not guarantee change of outcome.

Then the other show dropped, had three potential employees sign applications at another trucking company, two waved off as soon as heard "Drug Testing Date Is X/XX" other one asked if could be postponed thirty days. All had shown a appropriate CDL license.
 

catman13

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2011
Messages
435
Location
oregon usa
Occupation
refrigeration engineer/excavation contractor
its called eliminate the old by not letting them work so they sit at home and die of boredom
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,465
Location
washington
How can you NOT know about the DOT drug testing standards? :confused:
I can understand how a guy might want to do a little solo driving in his 70's, but the numbers don't lie. More wrecks per mile.
Does it stop motor home drivers? Hell no and that has always been scary to me, these giant diesel pushers with guys at the wheel looking like they had 1 foot in.
Oddly enough I have not seen many big motor home wrecks.
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,436
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Been a Hectic week end, was sent back to the clay pit as they were calling near to daily. Boss is in a Total Bind for manpower to get it all done and is still drawing blank cards.

W,T, F all started at 5am, not done until fifth load to mineral company. Tractor Trailer drivers were being rerouted to haul sand and aggregate to concrete providers where at times had to slough other duties getting trouble calls from those as well.
This is the clay run beginning, load in the dark. Generally 5 Heavy buckets full is 20+ t, can vary from 19-22 depending on what size materials comes out of pile. At least LED Headlights on loader work well. Two buckets forward, Two to rear and one roughly over side board center brace.

IMG_9241.JPG IMG_9242.JPG IMG_9243.JPG

Was averaging 90t per day, yesterday finally had 'Help', the Other guy that drives dumper cannot load, Scared crapless of using 963, so I ended up loading him as well. A third fella running one of the short dump trailers also loaded out twice 25t twice, as my final load got dumped the loader operator at the mineral yard said nearly 90% of what we had hauled in was already in the rotary kiln.
 
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DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,436
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Next up the news services are running stories on possible fuels delivery delay shortages, due to NOT enough drivers. Keep saying is due to COVID but timelines to shortfalls of manpower date well beyond that. Seems the Boomers and early GenXr's are retiring and no bodies to replace them, very much as my current employer sees.
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,486
Location
Mo
I didnt realise how bad i wanted to take some time off till to day when a guy walked in looking for a job. I was very excited until i thought it over he said he just quit another shop. He was over weight wearing fancy clothes . I didnt like the way he talked about leaveing his last job. I am about a week from getting every thing done i promised i need some time off bad.
 
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