$ per hour worked..

I enjoy being on the road. All I ever wanted as a kid was to drive a truck. I've done other jobs but hated them all! I make twice trucking what I could make at any local job where I live. I am home every weekend. I have kids and yes I hate to be away from them and my wife but I also enjoy the solitude of being by myself. I've always been restless and I have to constantly be going or I ain't happy. I've worked jobs where I was home everyday with a "normal" schedule but it made me miserable which made my family miserable. So I wouldn't want the life you have. Different strokes for different folks. I provide a good life for my family they are happy and so am I.

 

What's with these guys that try to figure out how much they get a hour and break it down to every hour they're away from home?
When you're working, You're working...The rest of the time you're free to do as you please.

Why do you think you ought to be getting paid to sit around on your off time?

I know, I know...I'm away from home and I wanna get paid for every minute I'm gone!
That aint how it works!
It's "long haul" truckin! You're gonna be gone a lot! You're gonna get paid for the work you do and maybe a some standby or layover pay if you work for a good company. That's the deal!

If you don't like it or can't handle it then you're not cut out for this line of work.

The solution to your problem is:

a. Go home and get a local job.

b. Go back to whatever you were doing before.

c. Quit working altogether. ( Maybe Obama will take care of you.)

d. Man up and accept the fact that the job is what it is and won't change to please you.

There are truckers and there are guys that drive trucks...There is a huge difference between the two!

You need to figure out which one you are and adjust your situation to fit that.

 

Brother, you hit the nail right on the head! Most drivers, if they are honest, dont like this job in terms of pay or hometime. Granted there some drivers that have great jobs and love what they do but they are few and far between. What I dont understand is why those of us who are getting shafted should "just shut up and drive or quit!". If we allowed that mentality to rule our lives and never demanded better for ourselves and our families why did we even get into trucking to begin with??? We could have stayed in the factory or gotten a job flipping burgers or gotten on welfare! How can anyone find fault with a man (or woman) who simply wants better than sub-par wages, living conditions, respect or quality of life??? It's called ambition! Just b/c you might have a great deal going, I'm not allowed to complain??? WHATEVER!
Also, have you noticed the companies that pay PEANUTS have ALOT OF MONKEYS for drivers???

 

Doing what exactly?
Hanging around the truckslop....miles away from friends/family?
If there's even a truckslop around where you empty out and wait many unpaid hours for another load.

Fact is, you are chained to that truck pretty much 24/7.
It would be no different than a factory worker who instead of getting in his car and going home at night...pulls out a cot and sleeps in the breakroom.
Or an office worker who grabs a sleeping bag and sleeps behind his desk.
Then wake up...and work another long-### 14 hour day.
Dunno about you...but I think that's a crappy way to live.
And extremely unhealthy, too.

Talk to a Wal-Mart private fleet driver...those guys are paid for their 10-hour DOT breaks.
Why?
Because they're stuck in their work vehicles away from friends and family, which prevents them from having a normal social life.

Yes you can make $50-$60k as an OTR driver.
But you will LIVE on the job to make that money.
Is it really worth it?
To me, not only NO!...but HELL NO!!!!
And judging by the high turnover rates at these OTR fleets...others feel the same!

 

Well this is gonna piss some of you off but I really don't care.

Here is what I don't get. Did you people not know the requirement of an OTR truck driver when you started? I sure as hell did. Did that stop me? Hell NO. Do I love my job? Hell YES!

I get so sick of listening to whining non-stop about the career you have chosen.

 

Just because your willing to work for free does not dictate that everyone should be happy working for free. There is alway room for improvement. Fact is you should be paid for the total time your responsible for the the truck, or the load. But the truth is there will always be someone standing in line to drive off into the sunset when you get fed up.... The next guy will always think that you were doing something wrong, but the situation will be the same when the company screws him over and he is the one handing in the keys. History teaches that man learns nothing from history...

 

That's right . Some of these boys need to figure out if they want to be truck drivers or Goldilocks . Sometimes it's too hot . Sometimes it's too cold , but it ain't never just right . If they can't hack the conditions just stay away . God knows they won't be missed .
I guess they aren't military material either . The pay would figure even less there and the conditions much worse . Even more time away from Mama and buddies . I don't know what this country is coming to .