The current state of the trucking industry?

The point is that, 28 years ago, Paddington's uncle made about what the average driver can expect to make today -- and not the average new driver, either, necessarily.

In other words, wages in this industry have ignored inflation. They may even be on an inverse path with inflation. Is there any other industry that's followed that trend?

I don't wish to put words into Paddington's mouth, but he isn't bragging on his uncle. He's making a very depressing observation.

It's doubly depressing because of all of the personal sacrifices and discomforts -- and yes, even health risks -- that truckers incur just in doing their jobs. I guess on some, morbidly amusing level, the fact that wages haven't kept up with the cost of living is fitting, in a way; a wise old trucker once told me that trucking, these days, is low-income housing, and it sure seems like we're getting to the point here where it's not worthwhile to pay for a home you'll only see 50 days out of every year. Might as well live in the truck.

In any case, I can see where you're coming from. If you're making 20k now, then 40k sounds nice, particularly if you like to drive. However, what you'll come to realize out on the road is that you're working almost 24/7 for that 40k. If your cost of living is high enough that you need it, then fine -- but purely in terms of money earned per time spent, trucking is generally a losing proposition, no matter what hideous job you're looking at in the comparison.

 

Iv'e been a trucker for 20 something odd years and I love it most of the time and then sometime it bites me in my ***.

 

God bless you.

I'm not saying I don't enjoy trucking. I love the work, even though I often despise the job.

But purely from a how-much-money-am-I-going-to-make-for-my-time-spent perspective, trucking isn't a great gig to get into. It's worth clarifying for the uninitiated what we mean when we say, "You can make up to 40k your first year."

It's easy if you're down on your luck to look at 40k and get all excited, but you'd probably make just as much on a per-hour basis flipping burgers at McDonald's -- maybe even more. Whether the misery of minimum wage is worth the extra time off is purely a matter of personal preference. As far as trucking goes, I wouldn't tell anyone not to try it if they think they can handle it, but I also think it's best to moderate your expectations, at least for the first few years.

 

That's got to be one of the keys to the whole deal!!