Truck
Driver Facts
●How long can a
driver legally drive in a day ?
●Why don't truck drivers run
legal ?
●Do bright lights or fog lights bother truckers since they are sitting so
high ?
●How
do truck drivers get paid & how much do they make?
●What age
can one become a trucker?
●How Does A Truck Driver Know What To Do And Where To
Go?
How long can a driver
legally drive in a day ?
Legal drive time is 11 hours of driving
with 10 hours of break thereafter. The NEW rules require that after 14
hours from your begin time in a given day you have 10 hours break no matter
how many miles you've driven. Up to 70 hours in an 8 day
period. With NO overtime required to be paid after 40 hours.
After 34 hours off duty they may RESET their 70 hours to regain a full 70
hours for the new week. updated Feb 23, 2004
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Why don't truck drivers run legal
?
It is a practical
impossibility to run entirely legal if you were to include waiting time,
etc. So many drivers figure if you are forced by the broken system to run
illegal, then why not go all the way and do what you want all the time.
What is the difference, illegal by a minute or by days? This system needs
fixed. The new hours coming out by our " all wise " government are going to
make things even worse. Of course you really could run entirely
legal if you do NOT mind begging for food!
[ obviously, this
depends on who the driver drives for. ]
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Do bright lights or fog lights bother truckers since they are sitting so
high ?
Some may laugh at this
question but you would be surprised at how many people ask this question.
Of course they do ! Truckers are directly in the line of sight of
fog lights and bright lights. I don't know about you but I don't want an
80,000 lb truck coming at me who is blinded by fog lights and can't see.
Some say they use them so they can see better but what about the trucker
coming at you who can't ? Does that line of reasoning make any sense at all
? Don't fool yourself they are not driving lights, they are fog
lights.
Fog lights are by far the
most frustrating things on the highways today.
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How do
truck drivers get paid & how much do they make?
So you want to know how much a trucker makes
and how he/she gets paid? A typical trucker gets paid by the
mile. He/she has to make as many miles as possible to achieve a good
paycheck. While that trucker is sitting in dock, traffic,
and shops they get paid typically NOTHING.
A driver can make anywhere
from .19 cents a mile to around .44 cents a mile. Depending on how
long they've driven and many other variables. So to break it down to
how much a driver brings home specifically is difficult but runs around $300
- $1,200 a week.
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What age can
one become a trucker?
A person who wishes to drive cross country
with a CDL license [eighteen wheelers] has to be 21 years of age. Now
persons who wish to drive an eighteen wheeler locally or IN STATE only will
have to be the age of at least 18. Because of age discrimination among
the insurance companies most carriers won't hire you on unless you are 23
years of age or in some cases 25+! Need Training To Become A
Truck Driver?
CLICK HERE
- Feb 25, 2003
Need To Study For Your CDL ?
These states currently have a study
guide online [some of them may take a few minutes to download].
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How does a
truck driver know what to do and where to go?
These days ,as I'm sure you know, everything is computerized.
Eighteen wheelers are no exception. MOST trucks are equipped
with a QUALCOMM™ Satellite System. OR some other type of satellite
system to enable trucking companies to track their trucks to within three
blocks anywhere in the country! These trucks now are highly
sophisticated. So it goes without saying that the new dispatching
methods have indeed followed.
Truck drivers now do not have much need of a
telephone. When the trucking company gets a load from a customer they
then send a message over the satellite which the driver gets in his truck on
an onboard computer telling him/her where to go and when to be there.
It also tells the driver how many miles it is to the customer,
directions, and any other pertinent information requested by that
customer.
The support behind the scenes (i.e.
dispatchers, customer reps) is absolutely critical to keeping a truck moving
economically. These trucking companies have massive operation centers
packed with computers and high tech equipment. To keep a fleet of
3,000 trucks moving and pleasing customers all across the United States is a
hard task.
New advances in technology are greatly
enhancing the life of a trucker. These computers are getting very
complicated. A trucking company can track how fast the truck is moving
as it is moving, how long it has been on the move, fuel economy,
idle time, engine rpm, and on and on! It is amazing what
has come and what IS coming soon! - Jan 7, 2004
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