Driver Shortage !!!!!!

The Teamsters didn't do a very good job of keeping their members employed after de-regulation went into effect did they? They would sooner see the company fold than make concessions on wages and work rules to keep the company profitable... and open.

That mindset is slowly changing but until the union hierarchy look at business owners as partners not adversaries the union movement to organize new industries is dead in this country.

 

Most drivers are well compensated for their efforts, R660. Some people just like to complain. I would not read too much into what some post on a message board. It seems that some drivers just like to complain. If it were not about pay, it would be something else. In truth, most drivers are well paid. There are some areas which probably should be addressed, but for the most part, drivers are paid what they are worth. When drivers are paid based upon the number of miles they drive they are the ones who control how much money they make. If someone is paid by the hour then you make the same money whether you drive 500 miles or 1,000, to use your example. If a driver is paid $0.30/mile (for easy figuring) and drives 500 miles he will earn $150. If he drives 1,000 miles then he makes $300. I won't touch on percentage pay, but mileage is how most drivers are paid in the U.S.

The primary reason drivers are primarily paid mileage is two fold. The company needs to have some accountability, since drivers are not under direct supervision from the company. And drivers need an incentive to be productive. Mileage pay provides both.

 

That s good to hear that everything is not as black as it seems from this screen

Some of my friends here do get paid by the miles, but that makes them feel exactly the opposite: they don t have any control over how much they make. Since 90% of your miles depends on you dispatcher: when they will give you loads and when they get tickets for ships etc. So sometimes you can wait 1-2 days before they find you a load. That is something totally out of your control (and can make a man mad ).
Getting paid by kilometers/miles is good when you haul very long distances and never have to wait for a load, ship etc.

 

The key is communication. When drivers start out his dispatcher may allow extra time between loads to see how the driver runs. Once the dispatcher sees how the driver runs then he should start booking loads closer together where there is less chance for the driver to sit. Most drivers will average about 2,500-2,700 miles per week for the year. We have slow times, just as you probably do in Europe. Miles will drop during those times. When business is good drivers could exceed 3,000/week. Those who pull vans can usually drive more miles than more specialized types of freight, such as flat bed. When times are good most of us will put money aside to see us through the slow times, if needed. Unless a driver has a lot of debt he may get along just fine when business is slow. It is just part of the business. If we had to start paying drivers by the hour, I would expect that wages would actually drop rather than go up as some might hope. Drivers should know exactly how they will be compensated in this business prior to even attending driving school. If they don't like the compensation then they should find another career or save their money, buy a truck and find their own freight. This business has been good to me and my family. I have friends who feel the same way.

 

I still take exception to Gman's comments that drivers are paid well. They are not ! 35k for 70 hrs a week is chump change. Throw in road expenses and the picture worsens. Your challenged to compare these paltry wages to the U.S. median anytime.

Truck management sucks IMO and they have proven it to me many times. Remember me? There's 10,000 just like me waiting outside the gate. Ok bud, open the gate !

"Well so and so can do it" Ok, here's a quarter, call so and so......lets get him in here !

And my fav: " drivers are a necessary evil" Really? Yeah c'mom !

 

Where can you go after a few weeks school and start out at $30-35,000 with no experience and no formal education? Where can you go that you can be making $40-50,000/yr after 2 years experience? You will make $30-35,000 while you are training for the job. Basically, you are learning the basics of how to earn a living the first year. I don't know of any other profession that will pay you that much money to learn a trade or profession.

You complain about the high cost of living on the road. Many drivers get a small refrigerator/cooler and buy food at the grocery store and cook and prepare meals in the truck. You can often eat better and spend less money. You can buy a refrigerator/cooler for less than $100. Get an inverter, microwave and perhaps a toaster oven or crock pot and you can fix most anything you want in the truck for a fraction of eating in a truck stop.

I am curious about something from you who think drivers are paid so little. What do you think is a fair wage for an otr driver? How much should you start at with no experience? How about after a year or two?

 

This kind of eating is very common over here in our country (and probably in most of the EU). If we would eat out every day, we would eat most of our money away.
Mostly we get a good meal at ships, which is included in the price of ticket (paid by company). Some ships offer very good meals: salmon, pork etc. etc.

 

I see more and more drivers in the U.S. eating out of the truck. It is difficult to have a meal in a truck stop for less than $10-15 USD with tip. I can eat cereal or oatmeal and a glass of milk and coffee for $2-4 at most. I can have a sandwich in the truck for lunch or dinner for $1-2. I like to have vegetables at least once per day. If you eat every meal at a truck stop you could easily spend $30-50 USD per day. I think that some who think they are not making any money are probably eating all their meals in a truck stop. I also see a lot of drivers buying expensive junk food such as large bags of potato chips, etc., You could still eat some of that sort of thing and keep it in the truck. A little planning can go a long way toward keeping more of your money. Eating out of the truck will save hundreds of dollars every month. I love salmon. I do get some salmon sometimes. I would expect that you would have fresh salmon if you are getting it on the ship.

 

It would be very comfortable life to eat every meal at truckstop ... wish people could make that kind of money ... but they don`t. Just the difference is that some admit it to themselves that they can t afford it and others don´t (that s why so many people are in soooo biiig dept, i think)

 

It is good to set up a budget when you do otr. I doubt that most people have ever set up a budget. Some people simply don't know how to manage their money. I have known people who don't make that much and always save and seem to have money. I also know others who make a lot of money and are still broke. In fact, I know someone who earns over $90,000/year and is always complaining about being broke. Her sister and her husband make about half that amount and always seem to have money to do what they want. It is not how much you make, but how well you manage what you earn. It is much better to set a fixed amount of money to save out of every paycheck. I remember when I was in my early 20's that my Dad told me that I should save something out of every paycheck, even if it is only $5. He was a very wise man. He always had money.

When I first started driving a truck the pay was considerably less than today. A driver could make from $175-300/week. And I lived very well on that income. I would save a minimum of $25.00 out of every paycheck. If I had a better week then I would add that to the $25.00. I kept a close eye on my budget and if it wasn't in the budget then I didn't spend the money. I had a fixed amount for meals, entertainment as well as all the regular bills like house payment/rent, utilities, etc., There is no reason drivers should not be able to save at least $100 out of every paycheck. You would be surprised at how quickly your money would add up. Instead of pulling out a charge card to make a purchase, save and wait until you can pay cash. A reason so many think they are broke is because they have too many bills. You would be surprised at how cheaply you can live when you don't have bills.