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

Swift??? Hey if it pleases you, that is what counts. Every scrappy carrier does have a few drivers that have done well.

 

None, really.

 

Truck driving in most cases is a lifestyle.And you can make a decent living with some experience and care about the job your doing.Also I don't really think it's a bad thing to feel your being under paid that tells me you have insensitive to better yourself but there is a fine line where it could be detrimental also.and personally I think as a whole we are under paid.But also new guys in any job will be at the bottom,look at doctors even after 8 years of college they come out and do there residents and average $55,000 to $60,000 for I think it was the next 7 years but after that there salary will triple if there still in that field.megas do have a bad name in a lot of cases but they are the easiest place for new drivers to start.And trucking is very easy to get in to when I start for instance there were very few companies that even required a high school diploma truck drivers are classified as unskilled labor by the US government.So you don't need 4 to 8 years at a university so most of us either quit or graduated High school and went to work.That isn't usually a path to riches so you learn how to be content and thankful for what you have .when you look at the big picture there are really very few people who have become wealthy from trucking.Truck driving is a working man or woman job,you will always be under paid and under appreciated.

 

So, you fellas describe yourselves as "steering wheel holders." You provide your employer with nothing but a warm body to hold that steering wheel. You exert such little effort!

Now don't be mad a me for saying that, that is the description you gave yourselves. I am just putting the word with your description.

I, and many other drivers, provide our employers with so much more than that. Our time should be valued much more then minimum wage. I actually suspect yours is worth more too. But, if you only exert enough effort to hold the steering wheel, well -- maybe you should be happy with earning less.

I am just asking that you be honest with how much less. Overcompensating by misrepresenting the real wage these Mega companies pay may be understandable, but it does a real disservice to drivers everywhere. Especially since many new drivers come to this forum to get real answers about the career that are interested in.

 

Unless you're unloading or loading a trailer, or securing a load, you're just a steering wheel holder. It's an appropriate description honestly. I point my truck in the direction it should go and press a few peddles and move a stick.

 

But yes, I do want more money.

 

I'm taking that your a new driver.In the trucking industry like other jobs we have or own language.A steering wheel holder is a term meaning bad driver who is oblivious to what going on around him .

 

Look man you can disagree with my description but truth is tbe truth.. Its not like trucking is alone in its rush to the bottom when it comes to pay, its just one of the last affected jobs..

Every blue collar industry in this country has gone through this same thing, why does it happen? It happens because profit is king and workers are a dime a dozen. pay in every industry has been pushed down and now its the trucking industry..

There is a low skill threshold for getting into this industry, so of course that will affect pay.. Just wait til the trucks start driv6img them selves and see how much pay you get..

Im just posting the reality.. you can say you are very valuable because you do a good job and have years of experience but the reality is, that doesnt matter these days, all that matters is proffit margins..

 

Hey, I have a job offer.
What kind of truck you drive?

 

If you say so.

Just saying, as already mentioned, 'steering wheel holder' is considered an insult by most in the profession , since most of us, at some point realize their is more to truck driving then just holding the steering wheel.

I am disagreeing and am telling the truth. Maybe your too new to the industry to realize it.

If you think newly minted newbies have the same job and wage as those with experience, you have a lot to learn about trucking.