Must-know Trucking Industry Statistics

Have you ever thought of working in the trucking industry? Many of you probably haven’t.

What are a few reasons you should consider securing employment in one of the most important industries in the world?

Here are a few random statistics that may surprise you about the trucking industry:

• According to Glassdoor.com, in 2022, the U.S. national average salary for a Diesel Technician is $53,510/year.
• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, every year from 2020 to 2030 the demand for diesel technicians in the U.S. could be as high as 28,300/year – but the industry is only predicted to grow by 13,800/yr. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
• The United States trucking industry is one of the largest revenue streams in the nation’s economy and is responsible for transporting 70 percent (or more) of all goods in the U.S.
• In 2019, the industry’s total revenue reached $791.7 billion.
• 80.4% of the nation’s freight bill came from trucking revenue in 2019.
• There were 928,647 for-hire carriers and 799,342 private carriers on file in April of 2020.
• The total number of trucks registered and used for business reached 36.9 million in 2018.
• 13.4% of all registered vehicles are commercial trucks.
• In 2019, 3.91 million Class 8 trucks (18 wheelers) were in operation.
• 11.84 billion tons of freight was moved in 2019.
• Trucks moved a total of $772 billion worth of freight in 2019.
• In 2019, 67.7% of goods moved between the U.S. and Canada were transported by trucks.
• Women make up 6.7% of the truck drivers in the U.S.
• 41.5% of drivers are minorities.
• 7.95 million people held trucking-related jobs in 2019.
• In July of 2020, the average hourly wage for employees in the industry was $26.30/hr.
• The trucking industry was short 60,800 drivers in 2018.  The truck driver shortage could reach 160,000 by 2028.
• To combat the driver shortage, the industry will need to hire about 1.1 million new drivers for the next decade or an average of 110,000 drivers per year.
• The largest factor contributing to the driver shortage is retiring truck drivers who will need to be replaced with new hires, which will account for 54% of new driver hires.
• The global self-driving truck market is expected to reach $1.69 billion in 2025.

Thinking this industry is one you want to work in? View our current job openings and join the JX team today!

Author: Nick Stafford, Talent Acquisition Lead

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10 Signs It’s Time To Look For a New Job

Sticking with one company for your entire professional career seems to be a thing of the past.

Before you start that process, ask yourself the following questions:

• Have I been at this job long enough to give it a fair shake?
• Have I gotten to know my team, my boss, my customers, and my duties and responsibilities long enough to know if this is a good fit for me?
• Have I taken advantage of all of the training opportunities afforded to me?
• Am I giving it my all, or am I just going through the motions?
• Am I truly satisfied with what I’m doing and the impact I’m making on the company and my community?
• Do my values and purpose line up with the companies?
• Is this company acting ethically in all that they do?
• Am I truly being heard and are my ideas and input being heard and valued?
• Am I comfortable starting over at a new company (seniority, learning new systems/databases/programs, training, benefits, etc.?)

Here are 10 signs it’s time to invest the time into looking for a new job/career:

1. The pandemic changed your mindset on how you view your job, the company, and what you’re doing on a day-to-day basis.
2. You have a case of the Mondays… every day.
3. Nothing about the job or company interests you anymore.
4. You aren’t growing and/or advancing like you feel you should and/or need to be.
5. You are burnt out and can’t handle it anymore.
6. You haven’t received a raise in a while.
7. Your boss is a micromanager; or, on the flip side, you can never get a hold of them.
8. You seem to be receiving more and more messages from recruiters asking if you’re open to new opportunities.
9. You were on Salary.com’s website and discovered that you’re grossly underpaid for the job that you’re in (compared to others who have the same job title as you in your geographical region).
10. You don’t feel safe at work (due to a lack of safe COVID policies, someone at work is harassing you, etc.)

If you end up filling out applications and get an interview scheduled, it’s important to ask questions in every interview. Click here to review my recent blog post of questions you can potentially ask in an interview that will impress the recruiter/hiring manager.

Once you receive an offer, you can review what’s typically negotiable by clicking here.

If the transportation industry, which (as of 2019), is almost an $800 billion industry, interests you, click here to view all of our current job openings.

Remember – the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. The grass is greener where you water it.

Author: Nick Stafford, Talent Acquisition Lead

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Set & Achieve Your Developmental Goal

Each and every day the human brain is bombarded with nearly 34GB (gigabytes) of new information.

For reference, I have been working at JX for nine years and my Google Drive only has 27GB of files stored. Some of the information we receive is received voluntarily, while other information is received involuntarily. Some information is true, while other information is erroneous. Some information is useful and applicable, while other information may be purely for entertainment.

With all of this information flying around, it is easy to get caught in unnecessary or irrelevant “information storms”, which can eat up your valuable listening time, processing time, and memory. For that reason, it is important for you to define a development goal. Once you have a development goal set you can focus on, you can start to recognize information storms and traps that are wasting your valuable time, processing, and memory resources.

There are lots of things vying for your attention, which is why it is critical that you are intentional about spending time every day dedicated to advancing you towards your developmental goal. Even if it is only 15 minutes, making this a daily habit is going to be the fastest way of achieving your goal. We are truly living in an age of data and information, and there are so many informative and educational resources available at the click of your mouse or the tap of your smartphone. A lot of these sources and mediums are free and can help you achieve your developmental goal with no money out of your pocket.

While it is certainly healthy to spend some time relaxing and consuming things purely for entertainment purposes, a lot of people fall into the trap of making that a daily occurrence and do it out of habit or convenience. So the next time you sit down to watch your favorite episode of The Office for the 10th time, consider looking up a video on YouTube or Rumble relevant to your developmental goal. The next time you go to turn on your favorite true-crime podcast, search for a new podcast that will continue the advancement of your developmental progress. If you are dedicated to carving out even a little bit of time on a daily basis to achieve your goal then you’ll find yourself on the fast track to achieving that goal in no time. 

Author: Ben Kolo, Learning & Development Specialist 

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25 Things To Consider When Considering a Job Change

Author: Nick Stafford, Talent Acquisition Lead

The post 25 Things To Consider When Considering a Job Change appeared first on JX.

The post Things Recruiters Wish Candidates Knew appeared first on JX.

How to Get a Job in This Crazy Market

As I’m sitting here at the end of June thinking of what to write for my upcoming blog post, I can’t help but think that this is going to be the easiest and most enjoyable blog post I’ve written for JX in the 2 years that I’ve worked here.

That being said, we’re living in unprecedented times, and the market could turn on a dime.

Here are some basic tips on how to get a job in this crazy market, where everyone and their brother is hiring:

* Take action. Do something.

* Connect with people on LinkedIn.

* Update your resume and Indeed profile.

* Visit companies’ career pages.

* Actually apply for jobs.

* Follow up with companies 48-72 hours after you applied. Be professional and courteous. Tell them you’re interested and that you’d like to schedule an interview.

* Attend (video or in-person) the interview. Don’t ghost the recruiter, HR representative, or hiring manager.

* Answer all calls and texts.  Check your email (and junk/spam folder) and voicemail every day.  NOTE: If you don’t have a VM set up, please set one up.

* Follow all instructions and meet all deadlines for any and all pre-hire/background check processes you need to take care of.

* Actually show up to work on your first day. 

See how easy this is? You got this!

If you’re looking for a job now, you can literally walk into just about any business, ask if they’re hiring, and see their face light up in joy as there’s actually someone that wants to work! 

Because companies are struggling to staff their businesses, many of them have had to open late, close early, or temporarily postpone certain services.

As of this post, many of our dealerships are offering up to a $15,000 sign-on bonus for qualified Diesel Techs (paid out quarterly; efficiency numbers need to be met each quarter in order to qualify). One of our dealerships is offering up to a $5,000 sign-on bonus for experienced medium/heavy duty truck Parts Counter Reps (half paid out after 90 days and the rest paid out after 180 days).

JX has open positions in management, admin, parts, service, and more! If you are interested in joining our team check out our open positions and apply today!

Author: Nick Stafford, Talent Acquisition Lead

The post How to Get a Job in This Crazy Market appeared first on JX.

In-Person Interview Self-Assessment

When searching for a new job, the best feeling is receiving an offer from a company you’re excited to work for.

The worst feeling is receiving a (probably cold and auto-generated) rejection email. You can’t figure out why you didn’t get the job as you felt like you rocked the interview(s). The reason could be as simple as they promoted someone internally, or they closed the job posting to re-assess it in the future.  You’ll probably never know the real reason.

The post In-Person Interview Self-Assessment appeared first on JX.

Mirror, Mirror On The Pew, What Questions Should I Ask In An Interview?

If you’ve ever had an interview before, you’ve been asked this popular question: “Do you have any questions for me?” How you respond will determine whether you end the interview on a positive note or a not-so-positive note. 

You always want to ask questions in an interview. Even if you came with a small list and all of them were answered throughout the interview. You never want to say, “No, I think you answered them all for me.”  

No, they didn’t. There are hundreds of questions that you could ask a potential employer. They didn’t answer all of them for you.  

Asking questions shows you’re interested. It shows you care enough to want to know what you would potentially be signing up for, if you end up going to work for that company.  

Here are a few of my favorite interview questions (feel free to print this list out and bring it with you to the interview).

Interview Questions  

• Why is this position available?
• What’s the biggest change your group has gone through in the last year?
• What new skills can I hope to learn here?
• What would a typical day be like for someone in this position?  
• What are your expectations for this role for the first 30 days, 6 months, and year?
• What is the company culture like?
• Could you tell me about the team I would be working with?
• How are employees recognized?
• Who is your ideal candidate?
• What can you tell me about my predecessor?
• If I get the job, what will be my first major project or goal?
• If I were to start tomorrow what would be the top priority on my to-do list?
• What’s the biggest problem facing your company, and how could I help?
• Can you tell me about the company’s plans for growth?
• What do you like about working here?
• Is there anything I can do to improve my application?
• Tell me a story about something that’s happened in your organization that probably wouldn’t happen at another company?
• What would you say are the top two personality traits someone needs to do this job well?
• What improvements or changes do you hope the new candidate will bring to this position?
• If you were to select me as the person you want to fill this position and six months from now you were doing a review of my performance, what would make it a home run?
• What can you tell me about the person to whom I would report?
• What keeps you up at night?
• How did you get your start?
• How will the work I’ll be doing contribute to the organization’s mission?
• There are pros and cons to every job. What do you like the best about your job and what one thing would you like to see improved or enhanced?
• How does your company foster camaraderie?
• Are flexibility and balance encouraged?
• Can you give me some examples of how your company is innovative?
• What does management do to create a diverse and inclusive workforce?
• How did your company address the COVID-19 outbreak with its employees, customers, and vendors?

End with these two questions:

• Is there anything you’d like me to clarify regarding my skills and experience?
• What are the next steps?

I look at interview questions like pieces of a puzzle. The more you ask, the clearer of a picture you will see of the company. So ask away! (side note – I asked about 30-40 questions before I accepted my offer to come work for JX Enterprises.)

If you are looking for new career opportunities, check out our current open positions and apply today!

Author: Nick Stafford, Talent Acquisition Specialist

The post Mirror, Mirror On The Pew, What Questions Should I Ask In An Interview? appeared first on JX.

If you are looking for new career opportunities, check out the open positions that JX currently has and apply today! 

Author: Nick Stafford, Talent Acquisition Specialist

The post The Art of Negotiation appeared first on JX.

If you’re in the market for a job, it’s a pretty strong possibility that you have done, or will do, a virtual interview. Due to social distancing recommendations, many companies are conducting virtual interviews for either the initial interview, or for multiple interviews. It makes sense. It ensures no one can spread COVID-19 and it’s convenient for all parties. You don’t have to schedule an interview where everyone needs to be at a specific location at a specific date and time. It’s brilliant.

Here at JX we’ve conducted plenty of virtual interviews. While some candidates have faired well (and received an offer from us), many could have used more practice.

How do you rock a virtual interview? 

Here are a few tips:

• Mark the date and time you booked the virtual interview in your calendar/phone. Confirm the time zone as well as the HR rep/Recruiter may be in a different time zone than you are.
• Ask for the names, titles and contact information of all individuals who will be interviewing you. That will allow you to look them up on LinkedIn and (possibly) the companies’ website. If you wait to ask for their contact information in the actual interview, odds are you will be so nervous and wrapped up in the interview that you’ll forget.
• Practice! Practice! Practice! In a video or virtual interviews the company representatives will see you and many of your nonverbal communication. Do you have issues looking straight into the camera while you talk? Do you nervously lean forward and backwards? If you’re interviewing on your phone, is your hand steady? Find a trusted friend/family member/former teacher and ask them if they’ll do a mock virtual interview with you. Ask them for their honest feedback.
• Research the company. Spend five to ten minutes on the companies’ website. The following sections/pages will have tons of information: Home, About Us, News, Stories and History
• Virtual Interview Technology. More than likely you will not need an account on the platform the company is using to conduct the virtual interview (Zoom, Hangouts, Join.Me, etc.) That being said, it doesn’t hurt to create an account in advance of the interview. And make sure to have your username and password next to you when you’re ready to join the virtual interview.
• Dress to impress. This is a real interview. Just because it’s being conducted virtually doesn’t make it any less important.
• Professional Background. Find a spot in your home that looks professional. An office, basement, or living room will be fine. A bedroom is not professional. A bathroom is definitely out of the question. If you’re going to be in your car because you’re on your lunch break at work that shouldn’t be an issue.
• Login early (10 minutes is fine) to ensure you’re able to access the virtual chat without any issues.
• Name. For your name (that appears in your box), use the name you want everyone to call you (i.e. Jane Smith, John For, etc.) Stay away from names like “ladiesman123.”
• Your posture and mannerisms should be the same as if it was an in person interview. Smile. Sit up straight. Don’t do anything odd, or unusual, with your hands and arms. Avoid putting your hands behind your head for an hour.
• Don’t over-talk. That’s great advice for all interviews. How long is too long? Did the interviewer ask you for just a number? In that case, the question should last 1/10th of a second. If they ask you to tell them about your work history, well, it will last a few minutes. Avoid talking for more than two minutes, or until the interviewers look disinterested.
• Ask questions. It’s a two-way interview. How do you know it will be a good fit for you if you don’t learn more about the company, their culture, your boss, flexibility, advancement, training, etc.? The hot question that you should ask all companies now is as follows: “Tell me what steps your company has taken during this crisis to help and protect their employees and customers?”

Remember, unemployment is now in the double digits. In a matter of a few short months over 40 million Americans filed for unemployment. You’re fighting for a job against people of all ages, races, experience, education, and skillset. Don’t take this virtual interview lightly as your competition probably isn’t.

If you are looking for new career opportunities, check out the open positions that JX currently has and apply today! 

Author: Nick Stafford, Talent Acquisition Specialist

The post Mastering Virtual Interviews appeared first on JX.