Why do OTR megas pay so little for 70 hrs worked?

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by a-trucker123, Sep 24, 2017.

  1. fargonaz

    fargonaz Road Train Member

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    You banging your head against the wall if you calculate hourly wages driving OTR. You either like the job and can do it or not. Jeezus
     
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  3. okiedokie

    okiedokie Road Train Member

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    Fewer than 20% of drivers are worth $90-$100k/yr. for various reasons.
     
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  4. crocky

    crocky Road Train Member

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    I never said it was good money per hour. Its obviously not, because we arent just away from home 70hrs a week, but rather 24/7.

    The thing is this so called 70hr week, is not hard to do.. You are sitting in a truck driving, it requires minimal effort. I suspect if you worked a 70hr week flipping burgers you would be much, much more worn out each day even sleeping in your own bed.. Driving a truck takes about the same effort as sitting on your ### all day watching TV for the bulk of your time working.. (yeah thats why we see so many 300+ lbs truckers out there)

    Lets face, it we are being paid to sit on our ### and pay attention...with a tiny bit of physical work. Its not like we are out there creating new technology, building rockets or operating on people's brains.. We are getting paid to drive stuff from one place to another.. Just a bit more complicated version of "I pick up the boxes and I set them down"..

    I used to do cable modem installs in the early 00s, I used to make $1,2k week on adverage and I worked 4 days during the period Id say was my prime (meaning I was experanced and the rates were still good). Even having 3 days off each week in most cases, that job was way more draining than driving a truck..

    The point being that equating the 70hrs to being low pay at 52k a year is really not a fair comparison because it would require much more effort to make that same $52k a year working 2 burger flipping $11/hr jobs back home..

    The biggest difference is you are at a set rate if you are lazy or not at those $11/hr jobs. Trucking is more incentive based like my modem install job was.. It doesnt matter if joe blow trucker with 10/years exp makes x amount. If he's a lazy ### and stops at the flying J every 2 hrs, a newer less experienced person can and will make more if he works harder and smarter..
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2017
  5. RedRover

    RedRover Road Train Member

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    Agreed. I don't do a god #### thing all day long. I expend exactly the same physical and mental energy sitting on my ### doing a 34 as I do sitting on my ### driving.

    Even flatbed isn't super hard work. I realize people have different physical limitations and whatnot... but even that isn't #### compared to pretty much any job I've ever had. I do my best to show compassion for the slow ### people hand unloading my trailer, because that was me working my ### off this time last year.
     
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  6. a-trucker123

    a-trucker123 Light Load Member

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    So, on the other side of the spectrum, which trucking companies pay the most and has truckers happy with the pay? Why do these conpanies pay a lot?
     
  7. spyder7723

    spyder7723 Road Train Member

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    Ya its almost funny listening to these guys say trucking is low pay. When in fact the entry level pay is substantially higher than almost every other unskilled labor position.
     
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  8. spyder7723

    spyder7723 Road Train Member

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    only February is 4 weeks long. Every other month has 2 or 3 income producing days in it. So you can't just take 6k and divide by 4.
     
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  9. spyder7723

    spyder7723 Road Train Member

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    6k dollars is crap monthly income for a truck owner.
     
  10. REO6205

    REO6205 Road Train Member

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    We pay our drivers well because our drivers make money for us, simple as that. We're a small company and we can't afford wrecks, torn up equipment, or unhappy customers. Our work is very specialized, lots of OD, lots of off road and mountain work in all weather. The average door slammer couldn't do it.
    Our drivers are what keeps us in business. If they don't perform well we can't be successful. We're careful about who we hire and we expect a lot from them. Paying good wages, giving them good benefits, giving them decent trucks to drive and treating them like human beings makes everything go smoother.

    Maybe the mega outfits can put up with 100% turnover, and the constant screwups that come along with having an inexperienced work force...but we can't.
     
  11. DoubleO7

    DoubleO7 Road Train Member

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    It is low pay considering the expenses of being away from home and that you give up nearly all of your life.
     
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