Inconsistent miles

That's not too bad.

What you need to do is take a percentage off your gross earnings and put it into a suitcase calling it savings. So when you have a great week or a great month as you been having here, anytime you don't have good weeks at say 900 miles you will have money to fall back on and do well anyway financially.

Many truckers hang themselves when they borrow money they have not yet gotten in payroll or live a life with too much debt. They never last very long in trucking.

Considering the winter we are still enduring this year those are pretty good miles for solo.

 

Did you go home on the weeks with lower miles? It typically takes a few hundred to a thousand miles off your week when the carrier tries to schedule a driver for home time.

Also, nothing is consistent in trucking unless you are on a dedicated route for a dedicated customer. Otherwise this is a hit and miss business, so you run when you can, live like you always will only have 1,600 mile weeks and put the rest away for rainy days.

 

Under 2k miles a week more than once in a while is pitiful if you're paid by the mile. That is less than 4 days of driving up and down the 99 in California. Even if you're getting $0.50 a mile I would baulk at that and seriously consider changing companies.

Personally, If my paycheck is less than $1000 after taxes more than once a month I start to get pissed off. But I also remember when I first started, getting over $500 a week was a good week, haha.

It all depends on what you're doing and how long you have been doing it.

 

Miles will always be inconsistent for OTR drivers. I would say you want over 2,400 miles on average. So 2k, 2.4k, and 2.8k will average 2.4k. As you gain more experience you will get closer and closer to 3k. There are so many tricks in OTR that can help you boost your weekly miles. Experience and speaking to senior drivers from your company can help.

 

Yeah the trick is show up as soon as u can forget about apoinment. Hope they loaf or unload u early. Move on to next load.

 

I would call them first to see if early pick or delivery is possible. Otherwise, you start your 14 hr clock. Most Walmarts will penalize/charge carriers for early deliveries. Drop and hooks at Walmarts should only be made on the same day.

 

Sounds like inefficient dispatching..
I would be upset as the equipment owner if utilisation was that poor, unless doing many short runs...