you NEED experience !! .... or do you ??

The large companies are highly compensated in tax savings by hiring newbies as temporary help and in getting their freight moved for cheap. You're spot on, small companies are still trucking companies as we have known them to be, working the business to make a profit, not just working the tax system and high turnover of employees for cheap labor.

 

The money that a mega company saves by hireing newbs and paying them less is quickly eaten up by increased insurance costs after just one or two fatal accidents. Do you really think they save that much?

 

Most are self insured.

 

There never was and never will be a pot of gold to be had at the end of this rainbow.Trucking is the lowest paid carreer or job there is and that does'nt just apply to newbys.Many of the companies that require exp is paying next to newby pay.You really have to have thick skin if trucking is what you wanna do.True companies or recruiters do promise you the moon thats their job and they get paid on comission so of course they're going to say what you wanna hear and really glamour it up.Drivers deserve so much more then what they're making and what the newbies are making while with a trainer is a demeaning salary and companies know this and don't care.If companies can afford thousands a yr to upgrade the qualcomms,bonuses to the big boys then they can give drivers a decent pay.Believe me folks they do have the money to pay the backbone of the industry a decent wage.

 

+ $.02: Getting rid of the old and hiring the young--dirt cheap is a common practice for a lot of big businesses outside of the trucking industry. It's nothing new, and unfortunately will not change. O/O anyone? Not a lease purchase, never.... But O/O may be the way to go, cuz Noah's Ark isn't stopping at this port to save us.

 

The big outfits still control the freight and there's only so much decent paying overage to go around, so being an owner operator still requires a constant battle to find the freight and give up allot of your life in doing so.

 

By the time you figure all the thefts by some drivers, unnecessary idling, not taking care of their assigned equipment, repairs, maintenance, benefits, workers comp, out of route miles, new or near new equipment, etc., there may not be as much profit as some might imagine. Carrier's will also have some trucks sitting idle, since no company has 100% employment at all times.

Often, drivers who complain about pay don't stick around long enough with any carrier to give the company a reason to pay more. If a driver is only going to be around for a few months, there is no reason for the carrier to pay them top wages. If a driver is not making good wages, they need to take a look at themselves and what they should be doing differently. If you want top pay then you need to prove that you are worth it. Stick around for a few years, do a good job and learn how to be a team player. Show the company that you are there for the long haul. Stop whining and start trying to find ways to enhance your value to the company. When you move around you will lose at least 1 week's pay, minimum.

 

Gman, I respectfully dissagree with your whole theory. You are blaming drivers for the low pay at the large companies...how does that work?

I'm not a team player and I'll be the first one to tell anyone that, I'm out here for myself. I'll run as hard as I can, work as hard as I can to make $$$ for me and my family. I'm not here to do any other company drivers favors, I'm here to haul the highest paying freight and be the highest paid driver at the company.
I look out for myself, therefore I take the best care of my equipment that I can, if my trucks not moving or well maintained then it's costing me $$$ to sit around...


When I hired on where I'm at now, I told my boss this, I want to work, and I want to be the highest paid driver at my company, not because I make more per mile than the next guy, but because I work harder than he does...My paycheck supports my family and no matter how much I do love my job, in the end I'm still out here to earn a living.