Whether you are a new truck
driver or an experienced truck driver you
have probably seen several trucking websites and companies offering a
sign on bonus as an incentive to recruit truck drivers. As appealing as
this may sound you might want to ask yourself a few questions about why
a trucking company would do this?
If a trucking company has recruiters and offers a sign on
bonus where
does this money come from? Do you think maybe it comes from the money
they could be paying their truck drivers? Who pays these recruiter's
salaries?
If you have ever been in the military, you are familiar with
recruiters
and how they operate. Did the military recruiters tell you the truth?
Trucking recruiters get paid based on the amount of truck drivers they
can recruit. Do you think they will be 100% truthful? Do you think they
might tell you whatever you want to hear to get the commission?
You usually only get this bonus if you sign the dotted line
agreeing to
work for them for an extended amount of time. Sometimes they spread it
out over a year or two in an effort to keep you from cashing in and
quitting. This is the same money you can get in regular pay at a good
company only it wont end! Beware of clauses like accidents or being
late with loads that will cancel your bonus!
The bottom line is, if a trucking company needs recruiters to
get you
to work for them, you probably don't want to work there. They have a
hard time keeping truck drivers and they can't keep their truck drivers
for a good reason. Good trucking companies don't need a contract to
keep truck drivers! How many people do you think would stay in the
military if they didn't sign a contract?
Beware of trucking sign on bonus offers and truck companies
with
recruiters. If it seems to good to be true it usually is! I have yet to
see a good company offer a bonus or ask anyone to sign a contract. The
bottom line is that the good companies don't advertise or use
recruiters!