Raise your hand if you make $73k

There is a shortage of drivers willing to pull freight for peanuts. Pay a fair rate and magically that shortage will disappear

 

Not to mention there's a shortage of drivers willing to drive 200 miles at $0.32 a mile in a 24 hour period only to be away from their family and sleep in a truck. There's lots of short Deliveries and unfortunately quite often you get to consignee and they're closed and you have to sit there until 9 o'clock the next morning to make your delivery without getting paid for sitting all night. It's hard to find a company that only pulls 600 miles or greater per trip at $0.50 a mile

 

I drive for a private fleet.

Halfway up the pay scale will do 72k this year on truckload side.

Ltl side does 70-90k+

There was another thread a few days ago along these lines. Seems to be the consensus most of us at private fleets are doing 70k+

At the common carrier previous to this I only did mid 40's and had to train to break 50k.

 

*raises hand*

I'll turn $80K this year pulling regional dry van. I drive a new KW day cab (35K miles on the truck as of last Friday). Drive around 1500 miles / week, log 50 hours / week average. Start between 3 and 5am, home by 2pm. Sleep in my own bed 19 out of 20 nights, paid layover and hotel if I stay out. No weekend work unless I ask for it. I have less than 4 years experience.

 

I'll make about 80k this year hauling hazmat tanker. Home every night.

 

Rates are in the toilet, the great optimisim of the rate bounceback from the Spring has vanished.

Here's my theory: it was take a lot more effort from trucking companies and cost shippers and receivers money to set up loads and facilities that could move their loads with fewer drivers. It is easier to have more trucks than required and a certain percentage of us are perpetually idle. Since most companies don't pay when a driver isn't under a load

 

I made over $73k when I worked for dot foods and sysco (both private fleets). I'm an owner operator now and make more obviously

 

I'll make a little over 73k this year with a private fleet. Sound good except that 8 years ago I made 75k here and haven't seen Jack for pay raises in that time. The check is from July and I'm still averaging around $1440 a week. That's out 3/4 nights and home every Friday/ Saturday and most of Sunday.

 

***My hand is up***

If I continue the balance of this year, with the same average and hometime, I'll gross 72k. If I take out the little training I did then I'm still above the average at 62k.

 

::raises hand::

But it sure as hell ain't from trucking.

I was pulling in just over 50k otr with months of breakdown wait time.
I would spend 1100-1300 of it on the road.

Put it back and invest and you don't have to do that crap anymore.

:ukes::