Is truck driving about $10 per hour?

Me neither that's why I keep doing it. So that tells you I'm not in it for the money. I'm in it because it became a lifestyle. I honestly can't see a way out after all the years I put in. Do I want out? Sometimes, but I know I won't. Nuts ain't it?

 

my friends and family keep tellin me i can go local now and you would be set for life with retirement... just what i wanna do is drive a run down daycab for people that i can't stand or anything else for that matter the open road is calling..

nuts yeah maybe but not everyone can do this job i know their are days i want out but the good days are much better

 

i must live in the wrong area the union companies here pay 17 to start then 22.80 maxed out so to avg 28 his head is up something not realy pretty im sure

lets not forget you have to have 2 years exp with doubles and hazmat

 

Then fallow you heart and welcome to the big road. Keep in mind once you have been here awhile you won't be going back. Few do.

 

West Coast is pretty much all the same....Where it gets cheap is the south...

Someone mentioned a low-side job that required Hazmat that paid $9/H....I think it was in SC.......

Low-sides in SO-CAL should gross between $95-100/H and the drivers with experience should get from $20-25/H.......

That's running in the LA metro and no out of town stuff.....

 

If you are using 35,000 as a gross wage for the year and you are running over the road, you are making about $5.60 an hour. 35,000 divided by 52 weeks = $673.07 per week. Now even if you only work 5 days a week, rare for OTR, you are out 120 hours. So $673.07 divided by 120 hours = $5.60 and hour. Obviously when you increase your yearly earnings your hourly will go up, but it's not by much, and how many OTR drivers do you know that really only work 5 days a week? For some OTR is a way of life and therefore they are not concerned with how much they are making per hour because they enjoy the job so being away from home doesn't enter in to their calculations. For others however, like myself, OTR was a stepping stone to get a job that gets them home everyday and actually pays much better money, I am not union. I do sometimes miss being an OTR driver and getting to see all the things that I used to see, but having family responsibilities and seeing my kids grow up ended up winning out and it has turned out to be the best decision I have made.

I work for a LTL company running what they call linehaul, I drive only at night, so yes, I do not get to see anything, but I am out and back every night. I leave my home terminal and return the next morning and go home. I work an average of 55 hours a week and for those 55 hours I make just shy of $28 an hour, $27.97 to be exact, we get paid by mileage not hourly. Most of our drivers make a little less than that because they do not want to run as many miles as I do, but most are still over the $25 an hour mark and work between 45-50 hours a week. If you can stand the boredom that LTL linehaul entails you can make very good money if you need to. Some cannot handle the monotony of doing the pretty much the same thing every day and it was a bit tough for me at first, but once I got used to it I haven't been happier.

 

Lol # lupe! !!!

 

Okay some how my comment got changed to pound Lupe, but it's supposed to say laughing out loud at Lupe. Another good question. Lol

 

But we all know that Looooooopy is still bound & determined to make that 50k in the first year.

I already see the next question coming... "So if I drive a truck making 35k the first year & service 7 drivers a night, will I make 50k?"

 

That's for UPS Freight Drivers at both locations up here. Was told that by Drivers for both the Distribution Center, and the shipping center.

The guys driving the small brown trucks get $27.50. the guys driving the Freight Trucks get $28.50. That's what they had informed me. And judging one of their houses, the brand new truck he bought, and the garage full of hobby-tools, There's no evidence to support he was kidding.



OP, look into Teamsters Construction. They have an Apprenticeship where you drive various construction trucks.

Starting Salary depending on the business will pay $13-15 starting, with Journeymen pulling $18-22 ending. December-Feb off (Because Construction is based on the seasons of the year)but after speaking with the Local, typical Driver for them pull in 50-65hrs a week.

Might also look into the IUOE as an Equipment Operator, too. A buddy of mine who's a General Foreman, is in charge of the Mechanics, Trucks, and Equipment Operators. Almost everyone on his crew has a Class A CDL to move equipment from place to place across WA. (Don't need the Dump Truck Drivers to transport the equipment, although they could, but they don't have to since the Operators and Mechanics can do it) Definitely something to look into.