?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
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. ]
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.
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.
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
Need To Study For Your CDL ?
These states currently have a study guide online [some of them may take a few minutes to download].
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!
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What is the age limit to driving a truck?
The age limitation of 21 years of age kicks in at 10,001 pounds or more or placarded quantities of HM. The 10,001 pounds or more is the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) as declared by the manufacturer or the combination gross vehicle weight rating (CGVWR) of truck’s GVWR and trailer’s GVWR, i.e. truck’s GVWR = 8,000 + trailer’s GVWR of 2,500 = 10,500 CGVWR making the vehicle subject to the rules.
There is no maximum age limit for operating provided the person may pass the DOT physical.
Be safe.
Mike
You must be 21 yrs old for OT driving as per the fmcsa. but you can drive in most states at age 18 as long as you don’t leave the state
Interstate commerce is based on the destination of the freight, not the vehicle. UPS, FedEx and DHL local drviers are all involved in interstate commerce and must be 21 years of age.
Be safe.
Mike
18 in wyoming dont know about anywhere else
Do truck drivers take a lot of drugs to stay awake? my dad said that a lot of drivers had to take speed to be able to drive all those miles. Do they get regular drug tests?
Back in the 70’s and more in the early and mid 80’s there was a lot of that going on. But most of those drivers that abused there bodies for the fast buck have now had heart attacks, strokes and all kinds heatlh issue if they are stll alive at all. Drugs use is no good.
Truck drivers DO NOT take a lot of drugs. My dad is a trucker and he doesn’t take any drugs AT ALL!!! They just drink a lot of coffee when they’re on the road! DUH!!!!!
I’ve got over 3 million miles and never took drugs. That’s the fastest way to kill innocent people and a 1 way ticket to prison. There’s more shoe salesman on drugs then drivers. It takes time to get the stamina to drive 3500 hundred miles a week but that’s why it’s not a job but a way of life
Qualcomm is only there to ease-up on insurance expenses, and to limit abilities of amking money. The expense of these “portable labtops” has taken away more than that though.
I have driven for almost 40 years, and the noose Government has strangled the industry in that time spand.
Every driver I know, has safety at the top his/her list. in the furure, which I have been consulted about, they may even breathing machines in all D.O.T. regulated vehicles, as well as teh dreaded black box. “Corporation America”, as tiny as it has been sliced by a social government, needs to stand up to the plate an SCREAM about every step the hellistic government takes. when toilet paper sells out, ther are so many weeds before getting to itch weed.
Jason, I am trying to find information on logging, particularly “looping,” or “blocking” off time that you do not change your city/state. It was introduce to me to keep the logbook cleaner than drawing a flag for a 15 minute section of time. I believe the email is displayed with this. If you know more about this please contact me or send a website where information on this is documented. Thanks!
My salary is $400.00 every week for 40 hours of work a week I don’t do much but my salary says that allready I am a hard worker is trucking A good choice for me I have no obligation to no one all I wanna do is work hard an have somthing to show for it
My husband is going to be going to one of those driving schools for his CDL’s. His current pay for a 40 hr week is 600.00. will it be hard for him to make more than that being a driver??? And any advice on this would be great!!!
I am also looking in to the cdl driving schools.
With your husband having no experience after he gets his cdl, it will be hard for him to get a job.
depending on where he gets a job at, 600.00 a week, might be difficult to compete with for someone w/ no exp.
probably not right away. But it won’t take long to make more then that. Depending on who he goes to work for
Most likely he will make much less for more work. In fact you’ll probably lose everything you have and be divorced in 2 years.
Can a truck with a two person crew drive more than 11 hours if they rotate driving time?
yes they can because when you are runing a team each of you are running your own log book so instead of one log book there are to logbooks and each driver can drive is amount of time then put is book where it needs to be then the next driver takes over and runs his logbook hours
Does a switcher driver need to follow the 10 hour off law after working a 8 or 10 hour shift? I do have a CDL because I travel about 150 feet of hiway several times daily. The only log I need to keep is the vehicle inspection report. Also I punch into a time clock everyday so my hours are shown on paper if the state of Michigan needs to see.
I will be 59 in 2 months is that to old to start truck driving ?
Jim, as long as you can pass the physical requirements to drive truck you can be old as you want.
I had a guy that was in my class and he was in his early 70’s and made it. He said he needed to help support his 32 year old wife.lol
Hello,
I was talking to a young man that was driving for a national trucking company that is located in my city. I believe he has driven all over the country and even up to Alaska. He doesn’t do it any more since has children but he told me he made $186,000 in 2009. Is that possible? I’m curious to and contemplating getting my CDL since I’m not married and don’t have kids.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and answer it you have an excellent website.
Paul
I am driving truck for 25 years, there is no possible way one can make profit of $186,000 in an year . may be gross income but after expense it break down to 50 -60 k a year
I have seen over 100,000.00 in a year and being paid by the mile I and traveling to Alaska, I would say that is not far fetched for a yearly salary!!
I see this question quite a bit, the truth is that it depends on if you are a company driver or and Owner Operator that has youw own equipment. It’s not unrealistic for an O/o to make $186,000 in a year, however I doubt that it was net salary, it was probably the gross income. You need to keep in mind that out of that would come the cost of fuel,maintenance, truck payment, etc.
If you are thinking of driving truck as a way of making the big bucks like it was portrayed in the movies, then you should really reconsider your options.
It depends on the Trucking company you work for and what you do for the company if you’re an owner operator and the company I work for can pay there owner ops $1.40 a mile US dollars and you are also a driver trainer for them you make $1.40 a mile for every safe mile your student driver drives after there training that can add up fast. On average 2500 miles for both each week that’s $84,000 a year for that owner operator. Plus with my company they took out owner operator cost of fuel the company pays for it and your cost for repairs are lowered if you go to one of there many terminals for your repairs. This is on average calculations so I can see someone clearing over $100,000 US dollars after repairs but NOT after taxes.
Is a CDL driver who is paid by the hour entitled to overtime pay for working over 40 hrs in a week?
No if the job is covered under fmcsa and you are involved in interstate transportation of goods then your employer doesn’t have to pay overtime. They can if they want. You are however required to make at least minimum wage.
Washington state law reguires you to be paid overtime after 40 hrs I don’t know of any other states that have protections for workers like this problem is it is hard to enforce but the law has been upheld by the courts
I’m 19 years old looking into getting my CDL A would anyone hire me because i can only stay in the state? Should i even look into getting my CDL?
I would hold off until I was 21 if I were you. Very few actual companies would hire someone under 21, so small local temporary jobs would be your best bet with trucking until then, and those arent any fun.
I’m 24 and a college drop out. I have nothing to show for my age. I tried going back to school this semester but because I’m married, there was some issues with financial aid and whatnot. So this month I applied at the Texas(yup my homestate)Workforce to attend a local school where they teach people to drive trucks. I don’t want to waste time anymore..and becoming a trucker is not something I initially aspired to be but..times are tough and there are many aspects I find appealing about the job. Not simply for the money. I’ve got some friends who own a company who can get me work right off the bat as soon as I get the liscence. But before I jump the gun..my concern is the actual driving.
I drive very well with automatic cars. My driving record is clean and I’m complimented on my driving even. With that said..I realize driving trucks is a whole nother ball game. My hats off to the men and women who do this for a living. Because I know there are risks…and my thing is..I’m intimidated by the size of the vehicle and by the gear changes. Honestly..I’m flat out scared. But not enough to back out of learning. I enjoy challenges and nothing feels better than to overcome them. Anyway..my questions are..how did you guys feel when you were about to learn to drive? Was it hard? How long did it take you? And do you have any tips on learning to drive trucks? If you’ve got a story of a mishap and how u handled it..I would appreciate it. Thanks again. My respect to you drivers. God Bless You All.
just like driving a car. nervous as heck at 1st.. you get used to driving a truck. You never stop learning. Partly cuz the dot keeps changing the laws. Better to drive a truck than not pay yer way. It aint a great life but I still pay the bills. Personally I spend between $100-200 per week on food and if i started this at your age, and stockpiled my $$ and lived out of the truck I would have been able to retire in 10 years by taking all the $$ I would have saved and investing it. Try it out. You will either adapt or not. At least you will be able to say you tried, which is better than not trying at all.
I’m in a wheelchair, anyone know the process to get my medical card? I’m out of IL. Please email me stronglucas86@yahoo.com, I would appriciate it, thank you.
Hi I work for a alarm company and make 27hr but i HATE it! I have my class A permit and would like to drive a truck,Would it be worth it and can i make around he same amount?
its a lonely road but u can go to school get ur cdl takes between 3
weeks to 6 weeks depending on the school
Depends on where you live I am teamster in Washington state I drive for a large grocery company and make 26.75 per hr or 54.5 cents per mile all our drivers are making 55 k to 90 k per year depending on how much you want to work
You’ll be hard pressed to make that 27 an hour in a truck. With the elogs now and sitting around waiting to get loaded and unloaded. Remember driving is a way of life not a 40 hours a week job. If you sat down and divided your paycheck into hours awake doing the job you would regret leaving your 27 on the table
I have been a driver for most of my life . I have dirven over 3,000,000 miles most company drivers make $400.00 to $600.00 per week but they are on the road for 3 week and then they have 2 days at home then they go back for the next 3 weeks . You may only work 40 to 70 hr per week but you are in the truck 24 /7 for 3 week or more at a time you only get paid by the mile. If you are not moving you are not getting paid. I have been out ( away from home ) for up to 9 month with out getting home. Yes that means you do not see you wife kids dog you at by your self. I own my truck but I lease to a company . The best I have seen is pulling over size loades that was $240,000 that year gross net was $75,000 . You buy your fuel ins truck tries oil tolls permints some truck stopes charge to park upto $50.00 per day you paid to take a shower and a lot on min on the phone and Qualcomm is not free . if you worked as many hr on a job that as you do driving a $75,000 year = less than $15.00 per hr you do not make time and 1/2 for over 40 and on a avarage you get 2 to 3 days off a month with 5 day vacation after a year . I tryed the comapny route on 2001 with USA truck I had 6 days off (at home ) in 6 months they paid but the mile I grossed a total of $16,250.52 i worked 70+ hr per week that is $8.92 per hr straight time on time and 1/2 that was before taxes and one thing you must think about where are you going to eat . A truck stop because you can not park that truck anywhere at Flying J a cheap meal cost about $12.00 to $18.00 x 3 x 7days $252.00 for 6 month = $6552.00 so how much did you make
IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT DRIVING A TRUCK FOR A LIVING LPPK HARD YOU WILL GIVE UP A LOT MOST PEOPLE AFTER THEY DRIVE FOR A YEAR OR 2 NEVER STOP
YOU WILL MISS YOU KIDS BIRTHDAYS YOU KIDS 1 FOOTBALL GAME SCHOOL PLAYES
WHEN MY SON WAS GETTING MARRIED IT WAS PLANED 6 MONTH AHEAD THE COMPANY COULD NOT GET ME HOME FOR THE WEDDING I TOLD THE EVER MONTH FOR 6 MONTHS THEN EVERY DAY FOR 2 WEEKS BEFORE I HAD TO QUICK AND TAKE A PLANE TO GET THE THE WEDDING I HAD WORKED FOR THE 6 YEARS BUT THE LOAD HAD TO GO THAT IS WHAT YOU HEAR
As a truck driver can you choose to work whenever season they want, for eg Can a truck driver stay home for christmas, or new years and then get back to work by next month??????????????
I have been driving truck for almost 21 years nad yes you can make good money, especially if you have someone to team up with. But here are some questions to ask yourself? Are you willing to be gone for 6 weeks at a time? are you willing to not be home for holidays, birthdays, or anniversaries? yes you can get home at times for some of that but not all of them. Are you willing to driving in inclement weather? do you want to shower in truck stops all the time? are you willing to drive 10-11 hrs. a day? Now with the new CSA 2010 law out, if you have any marks on your driving record in the last 3 years, you can forget about trying to get into trucking until your driving record cleans up. A lot of trucking companies are now going to automatics which have good points and bad ones too. If you really want to know more about trucking, I’ll be more than happy to correspond with you, but think about the questions I posted. You have to be at least 21 years of age to drive a big rig. My e-mail address is: ksleepercat@yahoo.com I will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have. And for thosw of you who want to know if you can really make money, YES you can. When the economy was real strong, my hubby and I made $110,000 for a year. When it took a dive we took a $40,000 loss.
I am female – is there a minimum height before you can drive a truck ???? At 5 foot 3 will I reach the pedals ??
Ali I’m 5′ 1″ and I reach my pedals fine the only annoying part is the sun if you bring your seat up to high you shield it but can’t reach the pedals keep it to low your blind but you can reach.
ali… no there is no minium height for drivin a truck one of my co workers is 4 foot 9 and he does just fine the seats are like a car seat you can move them forward a little and down a lot my rig has pedals that move closer but i never use them but the main thing is what kind of semi you want to drive and how much tou want to really do van trailers are the easyest because you dont have to tie the loads down flatbeds you do if you like the work then its fine but if anybosy wants to drive a semi they have to be serous about it theres a lot that could go wrong if you dont. ive seen a semi drive who was messin with his phone and t-boned a minivan with 3 kids in it all but one were killed the mother who was driving was in critical condition so if you want to do it thats great its a good job but take it serously its not like driving a car these things are big and heavy
Driving truck is like any other job, it is a lot of work. Do not think because you are driving you are not going to bust your behind, you will. I preferred flatbeds be cause it is always a power on power off load. I do not like unloading items out of a trailer for heaven knows how many hours in 103 degree heat in Fresno California or a 10 drop load of paper products starting in Portland Oregon going to fast food outfits spread out from San Francisco to LA. The outfit only allowed deliveries from 3:00 to 4:00 pm a day. I nearly went nuts. That one took just about two weeks. I wondered how people made any money at all with that screwed up mess. A good organized company is so very important to the drivers ability to make money. I have some nightmare stories about my three weeks pulling doubles on the west coast. LOL
One good thing about 99 percent of the flatbed loads, most people are happy to see you with their stuff. You get to go to building areas and other places that are normally just you and the customer who is often in a hurry to get the stuff and you are unloaded in just a few minutes and away you go to your next load. Out of fairness there are van outfits that reload many of their trailers and all you have to do is drop your loaded trailer and grab another one. I would call this kind of rate, however I did not spend much time working for a van company, so this is my my observation and I have been known to see polar bears and Bigfoot late Thursday evening standing by the side of the road trying to get in one more load for the week. This is not the case at a produce market or the majority of other places like warehouses. When you get there, people have to get off their butts and they hate you for it. lol There is good and bad in all. I hauled wide/long/tall and other special loads and there is very good money in it. I loved to haul really long things with a trailer that you could steer from the cab or one that had a driver in the back like a fire truck.
Those were very fun, however there were sometimes short periods of terror when you get close to getting tangled up with a four wheeler. All in all I loved it most of the time. Because I wanted to be home at times I would change jobs and drive a log truck so I could be home every day. It had it’s own ways of doing things. I saw some of the longest down hill grades and cliffs in eastern California and in the coast range of California and Oregon. I often wondered how the old timers got their truck around on those narrow dirt roads with switch-backs so sharp you could read your trailer license plate as it came around behind you. I have worked for large and small companies and I will have to say the bigger the company the more mistakes in dispatch and the smaller the company the less you get paid.
After a couple of million miles I went back to school for computers and human resources management and went to work in the office of a trucking company> Go figure?? lol There are times I miss driving, but all in all I like to have a life other than the truck. To make money you have to cover miles and you will be gone allot of the time if you choose to drive long haul, most of the local type truck may pay a little less and you are fighting the traffic most of the time. ARG!!!!!!! To me that was the worst part, as it seems just about everyone hates you and no one wants to ever be behind you regardless of how fast they are going. lol
Man I could go on for ever about driving because there are so many tangents of trucking and so many kinds of trucks to drive. As far as learning there are some companies who have their own training facilities or they work with a reputable school. Be careful who you give your money to because some schools have a poor reputation and some companies will not hire from them. And also choose the place you want to work by asking others who work for them how they like where they are working. There are some real bad places to work out there and trucking companies come and go every few minutes. Just remember to do your homework. There is nothing wrong with calling a company and ask them what they are looking for in a driver, do they have in house training and what is their pay scale and benefits. Companies are looking for good drivers all of the time. What ever you choose to drive, be careful and have fun. It can be a very rewarding trade and there are a load of great people out there in the trucks. That was one the most rewarding things about the road. I got to talk to thousands of people I never would have met and some of them became friends. It never got boring. I hope this helps.
Cheers!
den
If you are single the road is a wonderful place to be, but you can make the same money, or more running local. I ran otr for transport america, as a rookie I was making 28cpm within 6mo I was at 33cpm + 3cpm in bonuses my avg weekly gross was 930.00. I now pull gasoline locally. Gas drivers make from 48k to 70k and in extreme cases 90k per year(extreme means the 70hour rule does not apply to you). Linehaul freight drivers are home every day and avg about 800 to 1100wk (fedex, central, conway, averitt, ect.)while their daytime counterparts avg 16 to 22 dollars per hour with no overtime after 40. Dont let people tell you there is no money in trucking, and to the guy a couple comments above me, with 3,000,000 miles (about 25years)under your belt………….USA TRUCK???? …….really…..you really should have known better. I mean, they hire 120 people per week, theyre big but not that big, thats one hell of a turnaround !!!!!
my husband drives for a company, if the truck gets stopped for being over weight, does points go against the driver or does the company get the fine only.
I am not positive but I believe it goes against the driver. the only out is if there is no place to weigh since he left his pick up point and is in route to a scale. Drivers responsibility to weigh their loads.
Ok so I have question! If i get paid hourly and have to drive 8 hrs from home and sleep in a hotel then drive 8 hrs home (after delivery is made) do I get paid for the entire time I’m driving AND sleeping?
I doubt he is making that much unless he has his own truck and is teaming with another.
600 is a lot for one week. Might want to be sure.
most trucks have air adjusted seats up and down and standard sliding seats for tall or short drivers. most also have tilt steering wheels. At your height you would be able to drive just fine depending on the type of truck .
Chicago, I would get my CDL A and being 19 I would find a company to hire me to run IN STATE for 2 years and then at 21 if the company also does Interstate (All or other States) asks to be put on that. This way you just your 2 years of driving for the Insurance Company.
Then I was 18 and starting out as a driver I didn’t want to drive out of state till I got myself knowing very good that I knew more then I did about driving a Big Rig.
Just make sure that the company that hires you gives you what you want and not just what they want out of you. Lots of companies will work you like a slave and not even think about your safety. They look at it if we lost you on the road will just let the insurance pay and replace you with yet another driver. Good Luck if you become a Truck Driver and Always Safety First. God Bless Ex-Trucker George from Florida.
I’m only 5′ tall. My log truck driving buddies say I should stick to the gravel truck….. Does your 4’9″ friend have a special seat? I want to learn to drive our log truck! We have air ride suspension and seat adjust but I don’t think the pedals adjust. Any advice from other short drivers?
– little woman who loves big trucks
the trucks should be the same as far as the fit.
Love your site. Some great info but your topic above on how much do truck drivers make is incorrect. It says up to .44 cents a mile or $1200 a week. I work at Con-way freight and started at $46 cents a mile. The top out is .58 cents a mile for road drivers or $24.75 hour for city and dock work, we have guys earning over $2300 per week. Anything over 8 hours in a day on the clock is time and 1/2
You said you are making $46 cents per mile now are you driving over the road or local? And do you ever have to unload your own truck?
I wanted to get with either Werner, Schneider, or Swift. I live in Florida and don’t want to unload my own truck in your opinion which one would be my best bet? And who would get me home more?
As a Canadian trucker how does the time working the US impact the days I am allowed in the US? We are only allowed 181 days but I don’t know if those include days in the truck. Anybody got any ideas of where I could go to get the info?
Thanks,
B.
I work for Swift Transportation in the Parts Dept., and I am interested in getting in the trucking industry, but I have one question. How long do drivers usually wait for a load? Because I know that they don’t get paid while waiting. Thanks!
Question, Is TDA trucking in C.A good? I know Alton bean was
Good when I was a kid but now Im looking into driving like my
Old man and being on the road. Because of Alton passing away I need
To find a company I can trust. I have never Hurd of TDA or even
Seen the trucks till now and I sure don’t want to drive for JB Hunt
Or MS or the other’s lol so if anyone up here
knows first hand about them or other interesting information about TDA and how
Good they run or don’t let me know please. Don’t need to be stuck
With a slow truck and bad pay and a company with a bad rep.
My husband trained someone for CDL and let him us the truck to go get his license but. Had to work with him well he took off right after getting the license now my husband is charging him 1000 for training and usage of the truck to get CDL is that wrong
I don’t know what the full story is in this case, but people generally pay a lot more for CDL certification in schools. If the trainee was able to get a job after being trained by your husband, asking him to pay $1k out of his wages sounds fair.
I drove a truck for 14 years and made good money by the week but if you brake it bown all you make is about $0.50 a hour you are in the truck for 24 hours a day and you are responsible for the load even will you are a sleep and win you are driving and i will knot go back to driving a truck no more the trucking companys that brang you on as a driver all thay thank about is the money knot the driver it is a hurry up game you can knot be late for your appointment time for unloading or load back no time time for the briver hurry up and push you you run you ass off and thay dont care so now i am out of work and off the road now with social security disability for ms because of the trucking company i drove for so you need to thank it over do you wont to be away from your family for weeks or just get you a good job so you can be with your family and go on vacations with tam and se your cheldren go though school and be with tham i wish i have been home with my family now i wood knot be like this now
Richard, I am an out-of-work engineer now at hm with 5 kids + my wife… who thank God has a decent paying job. If not for her and unemployment benefits I currently recieve I would be praying a whole lot more and on my knees 24/7 (with very sore knees and tons of prayer hrs). I am presently looking for another engineering job (for even 1/2 the pay I used to get)…lots of folks out of work out there so the competition is great.
The MAIN REASON I am even writing to you is to let you know that this life flies by so darn fast as you know so well…even for me and my family (kids just growing like weeds). I beleive that the most important thing for any parent to be aware of is that even if we cannot be there with our kids during their growing up years, we can be with them in the next life (yes heaven w/ streets of gold and all that other cool stuff, etc. etc. ). So the most important thing you (or any parent) can do is to pray your kids into heaven (yes you must pray tons…and depending on how bad they are… this could mean LOTS of praying… sore knees. But when you see all your loved ones with you in heaven it will be so WORTH IT…you will forget about all the hrs you spent on your knees (which is not fun – I know). Yes you missed out spending time with your kids when they were young, but all that can be reclaimed…the Lord knows what you missed out on and he sure would like to see you get it back IN FULL + plus lots more. THE KEY IS TO GET YOUR KIDS INTO HEAVEN. All working parents who miss spending time with their kids and think they missed out should be aware of this.
I see comments about vans reffers step decks and skate boards. You want to make good money haul a Hopper bottom. There’s work everywhere. And you can make good money while doing it. Plus home most weekends
I’ve been driving for about 15 years. For 13+ I hauled live chickens. Home every day. No logs as long as I stayed under 12 hours. Made great money. 1200+/week. Company changed us from piece rate/load pay to hourly. Went from averaging 48-52 hours to 58-60 to try to keep pace. Got burned out. Now drive a 5 day SE route. Home on weekends. 2600-3200 miles/week. Lots of drop/hook. Much cleaner and the same money. With the same amount of time off. Biggest difference? I get more sleep now. Anyone who says you can’t make a living driving is just flat out wrong.
My wife and I are considering going through a school and picking up our CDL A licenses in order to team up OTR as a gig that would round off our employment and lead us towards a retirement in a class A motor home. How long would it take for the average OTR company to allow us to partner together? Time is on our side, as we are waiting a good decade plus until our kids have left the home. Any suggestions on schools and companies out of Southern California that would help get a married rookie team going when the time comes? We figured we would learn the ropes as company drivers and then decide whether we could and wanted to go O/O.
The bottom line is that trucking companies lie, steal and cheat. Driving is a blast and if it wasn’t I would have quit in my first 30 days. The best advice I can give to anyone starting out…document everything. Record every conversation you have with recruiters, drive managers and customers. If something bad happens you are the one that will get thrown under the bus. Do not let a company push you into breaking the law to get a load in. If someone dies as a result you will go to prison. Look out for other drivers. I mean this in both the good and bad sense. If you see a driver having a hard time try to help. This is good karma. On the other hand, be very careful what you do in front of other drivers, especially company drivers. Companies give rewards to drivers for ratting coworkers out. You might think no one would care about that cat or dog you snuck on the truck or the girlfriend you took out for a week. Don’t kid yourself, they will rat you out faster than you can say “pickle park”. That’s where most of the company rats hang out by the way. Don’t trust anyone, not even your spotter. If he guides you into an obstruction you are at fault. Get off your lazy ass and check everything. If you make it 2 or 3 years and haven’t had anything serious happen you will start to have a lot of doors open for you. Higher pay and better conditions will come around. I’m not the sharpest knife in the draw so I’ve had a lot of setbacks. Save your money, manage your downtime and don’t sacrifice your license or integrity for anything.
Ok I have a question I’ve been driving for 15yrs. so I was talking to some drivers about overtime for hourly drivers. One of the drivers said there is bill the feds are reviewing to start to pay time n a half, is it any truth to that.
I’m an owner operator and normally I clear after taxes, fuel, repairs, and ect: $6,000-$8,000 a month. It also depends on what you haul. I haul everything with my company: dry, flat, fuel, and ect. What you make per mile, how many miles you’re willing to run, and what you haul dictates what you earn in this business. Being a level headed owner operator is where the money is truly at.
However, company drivers can still make a killing. Team drivers can rake in around $65,000 a year. But solo OTR drivers with 3 years+ experience, usually, only make $1,200-1,500 a week before taxes. But keep in mind that’s a good week. You can also have $800 a week paydays. I think $800 a week is a lot more realistic with a good $1,200-1,500 pay week every month. I’m talking about the truckers that go home. Now if you live on the road and you’re a road warrior, you can get those $1,200-1,500 pay weeks a lot more often. Hence, maybe 3 a month. Almost everybody gets a really bad run now and then every month. And I’ll tell you: Those runs are like a domino effect because they can ruin other future runs if you let them. Even if the bad run was outside of your control. They’re going to happen, hahaha. The best course of action: deal with it and keep on your business as usual and learn from it. I run really hard and bring my own food. Because i’ll tell you, those truck stops will break you. Get a cooler and a fridge and buy your food at a grocery store.
We live on a County Road in Mississippi and it has signs that say no trucks. My question is can they write me a ticket for coming home in my truck? I always thought that they couldn’t punish you for going home but I really need to be sure THANKS
My boss sent me on two routes, I delivered the first on a Friday morning and he didn’t get me load until Monday afternoon. I delivered that load on Thursday morning and again he made me wait for another load in Louisiana. I’ve been here stuck for over 6 days with no diesel and no money at all. He said he had a load waiting for me as soon as I arrived. He said he would wire me some money for expenses on Friday and nothing was ever sent. Is this legal?
I work for a trucking company based out of the mid west. The current rule is that no weapons are aloud on the trucks. With the amount of drivers murdered at truck stops and rest areas i’m trying to get the rule changed. But, i have searched high and low to find statistics on the number of drivers murdered in the US. Can you help me find some numbers to support my claim that we need to be able to protect ourselves?
Practical discussion . I was enlightened by the analysis , Does anyone know where my assistant can get access to a sample NJ DO-11 copy to fill out ?
Had a question… can someone with a CDL permit go on long trips with another licensed driver as a team? Is that legal?