Trucking firm CRST is hiring in Southern California during down economy

It’s been a tough two years for truck drivers. It started when diesel fuel prices soared, and then the economy all but crashed. Now, employment in the trucking industry is at its lowest level in almost 15 years. Through it all, one nationwide trucking company - CRST - has sent a recruiter almost every month to the Harbor Work Source Center in San Pedro. His most recent visit was earlier this week.

About 30 people – mostly men – sat at tables listening to Stan Ferdyn of CRST explain why major corporations like Black and Decker and General Mills use his company to move their dry goods across the country.

"They want to get their product on the shelf before the other guy, " he told them. "That gives them a jump on the competition, whether it’s a good economy or a lousy economy."

Iowa-based CRST focuses on long hauls, and Ferdyn says it has about 1250 trucks on the road right now. He understands that a lousy economy pushed this crowd to his presentation. Early in his presentation, he spelled out what would disqualify people for a job with the company:

"Any felony within the last 10 years, and we mean exactly 10 years, not nine years and 11 months, but I cannot hire you at this time until that thing becomes 10 years old."

A few people got up and left, but the rest waited around for the end of the presentation. Afterward, Ferdyn sat down at a table in the corner for one-on-one interviews.

"Most trucking companies today aren’t hiring. If you look at the ads in the newspaper, you’ll find almost no ads for long haul truckers," Ferdyn said. "Because of that, we have a lot of drivers that can’t go to all these other companies so they come to us."

Trucking companies have not only stopped hiring, but many have folded all together. The American Trucking Association says last year more than 3,000 U.S. companies with five trucks or more went out of business. That number doesn't count the the smaller, owner-operated companies that closed.

While waiting for an interview, 52-year-old William Grace said he’s driven big-rigs across the country for six years – the last two hauling loads out of Southern California ports.

A year ago the company he worked for went out of business – he says because of new regulations at the ports. He hasn’t worked since. Grace has collected unemployment, but for the past two months, he’s been living in his Honda Civic.

"For me, since I’m already sleeping in a car, sleeping in a truck would be an upgrade," he said, trying to laugh his way through a difficult stretch. "From a small seat to a truck bed is great, so yeah, it’ll work out for me."

Sleeping in a truck while trusting someone else to do the driving is hard for Grace, but he’ll have to adjust if he’s going to work for CRST.

The company uses teams of two drivers to keep the goods moving. For Grace, the interview with Ferdyn wasn’t a slam dunk. Ferdyn needs to check his references.

But for 43-year-old Daniel Cook of Compton, the interview went well. Ferdyn was impressed by Cook's DMV record and safety record with other trucking companies. Cook drove for another company for two years but its workload has slowed to a crawl. So his boss laid him off two weeks ago.

After a five minute interview, Cook learns he could be at a CRST orientation as early as Monday. Ferdyn gives him a pre-hire letter, directions to the Fontana facility, and a list of things he'll need to take on the road... and a handshake of congratulations.

For Cook, Monday can’t come soon enough.

"I need to go back to work and get this thing rolling," said Cook.

In Southern California, Stan Ferdyn says he keeps rolling in new drivers.

They can earn up to $60,000 a year, depending on experience and how many miles they drive. Ferdyn doesn’t expect to hit the brakes any time soon.