What's a reasonable otr cpm for a brand new driver

I wholeheartedly believe in through pretrips and preventative maintenance. It has saved me from issues that would have put me on a tow truck, waiting on roadside, getting a hotel room. Every day I carry a tool box with me full of tools, tape, zip ties, wire, bulbs, fuses, wrenches, ratchets, door chains, multi meters, etc. I actually have read the DOT manual sometimes waiting to unload. If a DOT officer asks me for the spare fuses I'm supposed to carry that correspond with every size, I have them. I have a tread depth gauge, a tire gauge and an air hose.

I eat sleep and breathe the CVSA points system not because it's thrilling but because it affects my livelihood. If a DOT officer asks a driver if he did his pre-trip and he says yes, what's he going to do when he asks the driver to take off the aerodynamic wheel disks so he can check the lug Nuts? The driver will fumble around, not knowing how, then out comes the creeper. I can tell the officer what the brake chamber size is, the maximum stroke per chamber, the amount of torque the lugs should have on them, the rules on reflective tape, the lighting requirements front to back, etc. once I cracked open the fmcsa book, i realized how little I knew besides the equipment inspection. Nothing a trainer taught me or trucking school either.

 

Oh! My! FG !

 

I agree a decent starting wage should be .50cpm. But its not. Some companies play a shell game with per diem and such, and claim to pay .50cpm. But the reality is much different. Most companies dont even top out senior driver pay at .50cpm.

 

A couple of years ago May offered me 60 cpm to come back and train for them. I could easily average 3500 a week doing that.

However, I just can't handle a crying grown man saying he wants to go home two weeks in anymore

After 18 mos in as an Owner operator, I can't imagine ever going back to company driving.

 

You didn't figure in cost of eating while out on road is higher than being at home working in a factory...so you wouldn't really have to work that much overtime

 

I don't know where you and your husband live at and I don't want to know but I would highly recommend after a couple years experience that your husband apply for a local trucking company where he can be home every day.
Being an over-the-road trucker is not really a good profession for a family man.

You'll never get rich in this business and the hours are treacherous. if you get in with a good local company you can make a pretty decent wage after a while. There are also dedicated runs that are available through all of the big companies.

 

The tax benefit OTR truckers receive (standard daily m&ie) should not be dismissed. The financial advantage at tax time is huge.

You guys like to talk about the "costs", but seem to forget about the tax "advantages" that can easily outweigh the real costs. Enjoy it while you can.

 

#### can't see a reefer unloading in Seattle and not being able to find load out with all the fruit grown in Washington plus lot of veggies up that way

 

If he can get at Old Dominion, he should , it's about the best thing going !