What is the REAL average first year income for a new driver

I've read in quite a few places that first year is like 41k a year, but somehow I don't believe it. Maybe I'm talking myself out of going otr and driving. Seems to me that you live in a box for what, 310 days a year, probably running 9.5 hours a day. Personal hygiene or should I say lack of. DM's that don't care if you don't see home for 3 months at a time. Which brings me to lack of family, friends, hobbies and oh, what if you have a house and something breaks or just maintenance. Lets not forget stress of dealing with freakin 4 wheelers, road or weather conditions and being detained for stupid long times. The list could go on and on and on.

If I could get a local gig right out of school then that would be consideration. Its not the part of being a lonely profession that gets to me, I'm a loaner for the most part. Most of my friends have been my friends for a long time, but they are few and I like it that way, mostly because when people find out what I did for for the last 35 years of my life I'm instantly asked to work on their broken down POS auto. All of my friends are master dealership techs and they won't ask me to work on their cars. Getting out and seeing most of the country is a positive as I haven't really traveled much. I'm a workaholic so traveling never fit into any schedule for me.

I have what it takes to do the job, but the money seems a bit low for all that ANY driver has to put up with. I'm of the belief that there are plenty of drivers out there and they simply don't want to work for peanuts and I don't blame them. Take a kid fresh out of say UTI or Wyotech. The dealers are going to pay this kid good money and I mean good money because its very technical now days and not just anyone that can hold a wrench can do it. I guess anyone can hold a steering wheel.

Is it really worth it now days for what these large carriers pay?

 

40k is less then half of what I made as a dealer tech. That makes this a hard pill to swallow.

 

Ya but is it really starting pay, or is it less? That's my point, 200 one weak, 600 the next an 1200 the next, then you break and you make nothing. How about sitting at a truck stop for 5 days because of a blizzard. How does that pay, nothing, that's how much. So if you can run all the time then you could probably make the 40k they're talking about, but I don't believe those numbers anymore than I believe a recruiter.

 

Now that I believe and its very sad to say the least.

 

Thank you, I will look around here locally.