Swift...... I enjoy my job

Slave wages indeed!

This wasn't at Swift. But when I was a brand new driver, I was strted out # $.30 cpm. When I got a year in, they bumped me upto $.32 cpm. Then it was a 1/2 cent every six months.
My mileage averaged 2800-3200

Now that I'm upto 5 yrs. exp., I couldn't imagine working for any less!

 

That seems a little aggressive to me. My avg speed was more in the 50 to 55 range except for out west where it pushed 60s. Also I was averaging more like 8-9 hours/ day but that was in 2000/2001 may be less now with the new HOS rules.

 

well in all seriousness we are all working for chicken #### money compared to what my dad makes per mile.... try .445 c a mile. so i honestly think swift and all them could pay a little more then .25c a mile but its whatever

 

gotta start somewhere. Some just 'win the lotto' and knows someone that can get them a .40cpm driving job to start. So what. Does that make that driver any 'better' than one starting out at less pay? What good does more pay mean if you get fewer miles, huh? JB Hunt tried to recruit me...offering me .40cpm. which is .05-6 more than what i'm getting now. But when i asked how many miles i'd see a week, if they'd match the 2600 ave. i get now, they said 'no'. Said i'd be lucky to see 2000. so NOW lets do the math....

.34 x 2600 mi = $884 x 52 = $45,968

.40 x 2000 mi = $800 x 52 = $41,600.

so i'd take almost a $4400 paycut, for what.....to 'brag' that i make .40cpm than .34? That is where stupid trucker ego costs ya.

but then it all boils down to 'who you know'. Some are lucky to know someone, and dont have to go thru a school for said training to get your CDL. Some cannot get a $5-6,000 bank loan to get to a good school for training. Somes only choice? Go to a training company like Swift or wherever, 'commit' to their tuition, and start somewhere and drive a quarter a mile........so what.

my question is, why is another drivers pay is always up for debate...like it really matters? The only reason other drivers bring up another drivers pay are for two reasons. and 2 only....1) they're jealous because they dont drive anymore or couldnt get their license or what have you...and 2) just to try to get under someones skin to make them feel better about themselves. so again.....grow up.

 

actually...you cannot figure 1 mo = 4 weeks. if thats the case, a year only has 48 weeks...but we all know a year has 52. so actually:

$997.5 per week x 52 weeks = 51,870 which is 4322.5..not 3990. But that is what you can make ....AT MAX. but if you talk to other drivers in the terminals, seldom do drivers make that. you cannot figure your pay on the max you can drive, but what you've averaged in miles for the past few weeks.

 

The joke here is your math... if you take 70/80 hrs to run 2000mi it doesn't matter who you drive for you are never going to make money.

At most it would be around 40-45 hours and that would include traffic while running in a 55mph state.

Are the wages great? No, but your numbers are all really screwed up.

I have had driving jobs that paid 29 cents per mile up to 43 cents per mile, and as stated here before, total miles and area you run make the difference. I made 32 cents per mile with a company, but never have made as good of a pay check since.

My guess is you sit there in your truck and blame everyone else for any problems you have, and if its a Swift or JB that is close and can be the target all the better, right?

Here is the simple truth, if you have 50 drivers at your company would you say there are 3 guys who are terrible drivers? Well that is 6% of your companies fleet, now apply that to Swift with 15000 drivers and thats 900 terrible drivers. The only difference is size not talent.

p.s. if you cant think of a single terrible driver at your company, then its probably you, every company has at least one.

 

There is nothing any of you can do about the down time. You sit at the docks just as long as anyone else.
So in the winter you are averaging 3000 mi/wk through ice and snow?
I'm not buying it.
Whatever, as long as you are happy with it, that's all that matters.
The reason the trucking business went to crap is people willing to work for peanuts. .25 cpm? You've got to be kidding.
That's what they were making 20 years ago.

 

frdr,

Dude, that 2,000 miles a week is what you drove. No wonder you are an ex-trucker.

Those of us who made a good living working for a living wage, find your posts and rants a joke. Why do you troll on this board? It's called The Truckers Report because it is for Truckers, by Truckers, and those that support Truckers.

I love it when anybody says an OTR truck driver pays 30% of his/her income in taxes. Last time I bothered to check, I had thousands of dollars worth of deductions as a company driver, that the average working stiff doesn't get.

I also love it when you and others always say it costs X number of $ to live on the road. Last time I checked, a single person can live in their truck quite easily and afford a hotel room on their days off. Not having a rent payment or mortgage payment if one wants to, can put thousands of extra dollars in one's pocket if they choose to live that way.

As for spending $120 a week for food, dude you must be very hungry! I stock my truck with canned goods, fruits and vegiees, cereal, bread, peanut butter and jelly, and 2 1/2 gal jugs of water. I probably spend $200 a month for food, and that includes eating at a good dinner one meal a week.

So stop trying to stir up shat on this board and leave the posting to the intelligent people on here.

 

actually the reason the biz went to crap is that OTR ended up losing the protection of the union. without support of the union, companies could CHOOSE to pay that lower wage. When they cut the rate, and people will do just about anything for a job.....what are you going to do?? you can blame the drivers all you want, but dont forget its the companies that started it.

 

Yeah whatever. Enjoy your .25 cpm. You're getting screwed, and too dumb to realize it.