How to verify pay guarantees?

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by RogerGould, Mar 1, 2021.

  1. RogerGould

    RogerGould Bobtail Member

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    Mar 1, 2021
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    Hi all,

    I rambled a bit, so here's the question up front: Truck driving job ads, how to verify their minimum/average pay claims?

    I searched but didn't find exactly the answer I was looking for. I drove for about 5 years in the past, clean record and all that, but I've been out of the trucking game for a bit now after switching into tech. Stress and other factors have me reconsidering going back to the trucks (it's a "better" stress to me). I've seen a not-insignificant amount of listings where the guaranteed minimum pay is 1800-2500/week. Also seeing ads saying their average driver pay is in the 3000+/ week range. Solo, W-2 positions supposedly. That's more than I'm making currently even factoring in 5 vs 7 day work weeks.

    I know trucking isn't an easy job, and you have to live a lifestyle most people don't want to live, but my BS alarm is going off. Is it actually that profitable now, even with experience? These are usually advertised as dry van or reefer, drop/hook, nothing all that specialized. That math adds up to north of 100k/yr.. I've been straight up lied to by recruiters in the past, so I won't be taking anything they say to the bank. Is there a way to verify these claims? Maybe reaching out to drivers on here or Facebook or LinkedIn? Is there public access to anonymous pay records? Or is there some new technicality that allows for some funny math, like redefining a week, or only advertising the average [best week a driver ever had] driver pay? It does seem noteworthy they all tend to advertise weekly pay, or cpm, not annual.. though I suppose different home times etc would cause a lot of variation over a year.

    My other half works remotely and likes the idea of riding along, and we could rent out our house (that's in the plans regardless). Looking to squirrel away as much as we can in the next 3-5 years for reasons I won't get into here.. I've done the financial comparison and we'd be further ahead in 3-5 years with trucking if the advertisements are legitimate when compared to my tech career trajectory.

    In all my searching it just seems like you can find someone claiming whatever it is you're searching for. Want to find someone making 300k/yr? Easy to find an OO ignoring their expenses in their claim. Want to find evidence of drivers getting paid less than minimum wage? No shortage of that either. Of course just about everything in between is out there too. I want to know how to verify a specific company's ad for a specific position in this industry.

    Anyway, sorry for rambling. I'm just looking for a way to verify this info so we can make an informed decision. I realize it's probably too good to be true, but I'd love to know for sure and it doesn't hurt to ask. Thanks for reading, and I appreciate the sacrifices y'all make to keep the country moving, stay safe out there!
     
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  3. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    If W-2 companies were paying that much they wouldn't have to advertise for drivers.
    ~
    A driver in your situation can expect somewhere between $60G - $70G just getting back in the game. That's after your training/refresher is complete.
     
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  4. lovesthedrive

    lovesthedrive R.I.P.

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    There is no gauranty in trucking. If your dealing with a mega carrier some will nickle and dime your pay to the point you may as well be flipping burgers. Some companies are better than others. So be carefull of what mega you chose.
     
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  5. Jenn72

    Jenn72 Medium Load Member

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    I don't see you getting that as a "new" driver. My 1st yr as a solo driver I made almost 60k. That was when my company paid a newbie $0.40 a mile. Now they start out at $.50 a mile.

    I would go with what @Chinatown said. Realistically 60 - 70 if you find a decent company.
     
  6. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Do you still have a cdl?
    Where are you located?
     
  7. bryan21384

    bryan21384 Road Train Member

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    You're right about the expectation of pay, I tend to think even if the money was that good, companies would still be looking for drivers. People like the way a certain amount of pay sounds.....til they have to give up some home events. I think people want that pay, at a rate of a 4 or 5 day work week, 9 am to 5 pm.....the life seen on sitcoms lol
     
  8. bryan21384

    bryan21384 Road Train Member

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    OP, cpm doesn't mean that much if a company doesn't have the freight and miles. I moreso look at the other 2 factors. All the companies that hire experienced drivers will offer pay in the same ballpark (45 - 55 cpm). If I were looking for a job now, the wage would have to be competitive, and I want to run 2500 miles or better. It's all about the freight driver
     
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  9. WesternPlains

    WesternPlains Road Train Member

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    They will all feed new drivers a bunch of BS. My first job. I took info from the terminal manager. Not any recruiter. He really fed me BS.
    I’ve gone through 6 jobs in 3 years.
    Present one pretty happy with. A very basic add on Craigslist. Said .54 a mile. No qualifications. Straight pay. W2...2500 to 3000 miles a week. Out and back. Did require 3 years experience. I got 4000 miles one paycheck/week. Last week was 3730 miles. Drive a new Volvo. I is a happy camper.
     
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  10. WesternPlains

    WesternPlains Road Train Member

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    What I meant by no qualifications. Some claim pay that you have to earn all their bonuses to get. Mileage bonus. Miles bonus. Safety bonus (clean inspections part of). Things like that.
    Had one that gave miles bonus at 10,000 miles a month. A definite large percentage of pay. They’d run me crazy for 3 weeks. I’d have 9000 miles in. Then set me up to fail to make 10k.
     
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  11. The Crossword Trucker

    The Crossword Trucker Road Train Member

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    If its a craigslist ad, make sure they display some certificates like this
     

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