Truckers Deserve more money

Good luck in your new career. In my opinion after being out here since the 90's is you better be doing this cuz you enjoy it. If you're jumping into it solely for the money an thinking some carrier is gonna make ya rich an take proper care of all your needs then you're gonna be disappointed. JMHO. An of course i don't expect everybody to agree with my opinion.

 

The first time I saw a weigh station, I rolled right by. Diesel bear chased me down.

“But officer, my weight is fine. I weighed at a truck stop.”

 

I've talked my way out of a few (including running a scale) by being polite, stupid and asking lots of questions; "Am I really supposed to stop there?"

One time they ran me down when I had an improperly registered vehicle, so by extension, improperly insured and was waaaaayy over manufacturer's GCWR and all I got was a fix-it.

 

Brain surgeons make far more than $5000 a week.

 

When I was a kid I worked after school doing things around the shop and I was supposed to tell the drivers what job to go to the next morning if there were any changes. One night I ran around the corner to get a pizza and I missed the drivers when they came in, so I just taped notes to their steering wheels .

The next day I got #####ed at because some of the drivers ended up at the wrong place .

In the middle of a bunch of cursing this came out

"They can't read, they are truck drivers"

 

I agree. And our wives or girlfriends should have sex with us any time we want to..........just two things that will NEVER HAPPEN!

 

There is no doubt truckers deserve much more than they actually make. However, the way the industry currently is, it's basically a race to the bottom. AND, it will ALWAYS, be impossible, in my opinion, to get truckers to coordinate and come together, aka organize. If you get 3 truckers together, you'll have 4 opinions on any subject. Unionizing would probably be the most logical way for truckers to make inroads into getting better wages. However, too many are quite anti-union (Why, IDK, I'm from a Union household and always been a Unionist. I've been active in any Union I've been able to join, to include being a local President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Communicator, etc). The company I drive for is not unionized, so currently not doing any Union stuff. And, I'm not an organizer (someone who promotes a Union and tries to get folks to join one). I've never felt comfortable trying to talk anyone into something (obviously never been a salesperson either). I've always figured it isn't my place to persuade anybody about anything. I don't want others doing it to me. Believe what you want. I have no more insight into life than anyone else.
Anyway, agree that truckers deserve more pay. However, I don't see any way that's gonna change. Probably one of the reasons the 'quality' of many out there ain't what it used to be.

 

If a brain surgeon was only making $5k a week. Well, they should have their head examined.

 

https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=24&year1=200501&year2=202101

I used a inflation calculator to figure out what a ok trucking wage should be compared to when I started.
Made $75k first year driving as a dirt hauler. I'd have to be paid $107k for the same buying power today. Twenty years later and the actual pay is about the same.