What is good pay? And what’s fair now in trucking?

You're still a 1st-year driver....forget it....

-- L

 

There's another thread here on the Forum titled, "The six-figure club"...or something real close to that.

Find it -- then read it.


You're welcome....

-- L

 

If you are paying your bills & you stay busy, it's good enough pay. Many people will never make good pay because they increase spending to 110% of normal pay. If they were making double current pay they would simply go to bankruptcy court in a nicer car. Spending is they key, income is less important than spending. The cost of living varies wildly around the country, the number of family members varies wildly. The tax burden varies quite a bit. A number can't be the answer to your question.

 

Sadly pay has either stagnated or declined in the past 5 years. I started driving trucks 9 years ago after I retired. Both companies I worked for are either paying the same,.or less than they were back then when it comes to cmp , detention pay etc. Also depends on what kind of trucking you are doing. OTR that's giving you decent miles (2500 -3000 + a week) shouldn't be paying you less than 60cpm...If you have only been trucking a couple of years now you are likely in the 45 to 55cpm (dry reefer)range at MOST. Detention/breakdown pay has been the same at most places for 30 years now.
We all know one of the main reasons why pay is like it is now but don't have the time to open that can of worms. Hint.."I drive truck".
American Truckers continue to take one hit after another . Yes the economy was doing so much better under Trunp but he took the per diem tax deduction away from company drivers. The last admin?? What a joke! Ive seen the decline in this industry for only the past 9 years so I can't imagine what the long time.veteran truckers here see. The truth is people could really.care less how or who gets them their stuff. As long as its on time and they get it cheap who cares. I'm out of trucking for now and hope to get back to it eventually. A few phone calls I made to some companies recently convinced me that for the time being ,the pay just isn't worth it. Im.not going back to what I was making 5 years ago..and I have only been off the road for 6 mos. Look.into.haz mat /heavy haul, seems to be about the only decent pay left.

 

Private Fleets
LTL
Specialized

 

The OM scratches out a living at Landstarve.

 

The economy was never good under any administration. The only measuring stick used to judge the economy in the way that we do are based high earners, or what big money corporations say. Doesn't speak for the masses.

I do agree with your pot about the pay though. You have given a tnge in terms of cpm for drivers once they become experienced. 55 to 65 is the range for cpm, but @Chi Town Steers you gotta look at how much work a company actually has. Where I work, the cpm is average. Where IT works, is that they have the ability to keep you busy if you show an ability and willingness to run the miles and go anywhere they ask, even NYC. We typically don't go to NYC but every once in a while they'll ask. It isn't mandatory, but it helps your stock with certain companies. I will tell them yes in. New York minute...pardon the pun. It an extra 100 bucks, and certain companies will look at you with favor afterwards, simply because you'll set yourself above the pack. Point being in telling all this, trucking is one industry, probably more than any other industry, in which you control your won destiny. If you're not a malcontent, go anywhere without complaining, you'll make great money. You'll get average in terms of cpm, but it's more about the runs and how many miles you run. You gotta make yourself stand out. They ask me if I'd mind going to NYC. They really don't need to. They've got 48 states to choose from. I'll take a load anywhere, anytime, anyplace and just about any weather condition. It's go time unless there's a travel ban or it's just too much to overcome. You adopt that attitude, combine with the money management @tscottme alluded to earlier, you've created a good living.