How Much ya makin'?

Fuel delivery driver
all in-state
No rush to get anywhere quick,
I'll get there when ii get there,
$16.50 an hour,Home everynight,
avg. about 50 hrs. per week.

 

I hate to make everyone so envious so I'l stay out of this one

 

Please do

I actually find this thread sort of comical. While I make "good" money by most standards. I like to think it is "great" money.

Point being... If I clear $1600 - 2000 a week (I know drivers who do). What good is it to me, if I live in an area that requires almost all of it to maintain my current lifestyle?

Me and a bud, stay in contact comparing companies and paychecks. His is almost always twice mine, sometime 3 times as much. But, our jobs are very differant. He hauls heavy on percentage, I haul LTL milage and hourly. He works 6 days a week on average, I work 4, sometimes 5.

I think he has a great job. He thinks I have a great job. Of course, we have differant priorities as to what we need to maintain our lifestyle.

NEITHER of us want the others job. Location for him, cost of living for me, keeps us where we are. If I moved where he is, I would get a job with him, and vice versa. But we are equally happy with what we have, and where we are now.:smt038

 

Well I just got my pay stub today and I'm at $26k for the year so far. Far as my math goes that works out to between $70k and $75k fr the year.

I work a mix of local and otr hauling medical scanners. 60% bobtail. 4 or 5 days a week. Lately I have been running otr monday till wednesday then local the rest of the week. usually just 5 or 6 hours a day.

 

Oh, and that is not including my per diem pay which is $25 for any night I'm not in my own bed

 

Heres what i got going on:
Local garbage man downtown Portland Or. for a private company
started out at $15.00hr 3 years ago
Now im at $19.00hr
Work 45 to 55hrs a week.
Bring home approx $630.00 to $680.00 every Monday.. (LOVE getting paid weekly)

 

#### then this werner gig suxx. I cat get over 600 take home running 2800mi wk.
Will be lookin for a new gig soon though..

 

We all want to make BIG money.

Using your post as an example. I want to point out the most common mistake made by beginning drivers....even some of the older experienced drivers. Hopefully some of the beginners will gain something from this.

Making $1000 a week before taxes as an OTR driver who stays out for 6-8 weeks at a time. Is not the same as making less and being home throughout the week and on weekends.

Expenses...Expenses...Expenses.

Your buddy makes on average $800.00 a week bring home as OTR. He spends on average 20-40 dollars per day while on the road. It CAN be done cheaper, but very few actually even try. Many actually spend more. So do the math...before you leap. I averaged about $75 a week while OTR.

Average savings per week, based on being home nightly and/or weekends. $200 plus. Allowing you to take a job that pays less...but leaves you more on pay day.

Being home with the ones you love, doing the things you love....priceless.

If OTR is the way for you. Three investments are a must, if you want to make BIG money. An invertor, a microwave, and a fridge (real). While the original cost will set you back a bit. It will easily pay for itself within the first month, if you actually use them. All this is based on the fact your company will even allow the use of an invertor also.

Don't make the mistake of thinking a bigger paycheck is what is needed. When all that is really needed, is financial responsibility.

I make roughly the same regional, as I did OTR, sometimes even more. So it's very easy for me to sit back and say these things...now. But as an OTR driver, I learned a lot about the proper management of MY money. I honestly believe, that without the OTR experience, combined with family responcibilities. I would be so deep in debt, I could never retire.