What do you pull, besides driving what do you do, how much do you make?

Company: Don't want to say right now, but you can probably figure it out and probably will figure it out.

Company driver, Owner Operator, Lease operator or other: Company hand.

Pull: vans, drop and hook, just retail s_ _t
Average take home when you were trucking if retired or other. After taxes, (not counting garnishments and not gross wage aether) I average about: $800, but everyone's take home is going to be different; For example i don't have any kids or own a house. Someone who has 2-3 shortys and a pad that they own is going to be taxed much, much less. Single people get taxed the most. So i would say gross is a much better indication of pay.

Other pay besides driving (chaining detention ets): unloading(if any) by the hour

E-logs or paper logs? both

Do you recruit, or recommend people or other drivers to work for the same company you do, with or without compensation: not really

What kind of truck do you drive: tandem tractors

How many miles per week average: 2250

Home time: weekends off

What kind of work do you do besides drive: no comment although lawnmowing is on the horizon

What do you enjoy most about your job: the driving

What do you hate most: my boss

Short bit of advise to newer drivers:

1) Take your time--no rushing.

2) Do not tailgate, in fact deliberately keep "too much" space between yourself and the vehicle in front of you.

3) Slow way down on highways with traffic lights; If the speed limit is 55, you may have to go down to 45 or even 40 to be able to drive through this area successfully----to be able to stop if the light turns red.

4) G.O.A.L.-----get out and look. If at anytime when backing or manuvering your unsure about anything, get out and look.

 

Company: regional carhauler

Company driver, Owner Operator, Lease operator or other: O/O

Pull: 10 car Cottrell

Average take home when you were trucking if retired or other. After taxes, (not counting garnishments and not gross wage aether) I average about: After taxes, average $1500/wk

Other pay besides driving (chaining detention ets): None

E-logs or paper logs? paper

Do you recruit, or recommend people or other drivers to work for the same company you do, with or without compensation: ocassionally

What kind of truck do you drive: Western Star 4900FA

How many miles per week average: 3000

Home time: 6-8 days per month

What kind of work do you do besides drive: light maintenance and repairs

What do you enjoy most about your job: Hotties w/ POV's! Seriously: It's physical and requires some thinking. It's not a job that just anybody can do. It's high risk/ high reward work: a small slip can blow your $2500 deductible right out the window.

What do you hate most: Hunting cars at auctions

Short bit of advise to newer drivers: Always do it right! if the words "they don't pay me enough to do that" come out of your mouth; find a different job.

 

Company: very small, privately owned, local oilfield water hauling

Company driver, Owner Operator, Lease operator or other: company driver / other (part time dispatch)

Pull: dragon vacuum tanker trailer

Average take home when you were trucking if retired or other. After taxes, (not counting garnishments and not gross wage aether) I average about: varies depending on hours, usually over $500 a week take home.

Other pay besides driving (chaining detention ets): I'm paid hourly, anything over 40 hours I receive time & half overtime. (average week is 50 hours)

E-logs or paper logs? paper (local log sheet; the 100 mile radius one that is one month per page, not a log book)

Do you recruit, or recommend people or other drivers to work for the same company you do, with or without compensation: no. I would not receive compensation if I did.

What kind of truck do you drive: 2001 Mack CH316, 10 speed

How many miles per week average: 600, approximately 100 miles per day, longest day I've had so far just bit over 250 miles. (not paid by miles or loads, paid hourly)

Home time: daily, & one day a week off (always a weekday). I am usually on call for day off, small company and I'm the newbie. Being on call at night varies and rotates thru the drivers. (tho one guy always wants it and volunteers for the extra hours.)

What kind of work do you do besides drive: hooking and unhooking hoses. Gauging tanks (oil and saltwater, frac & swab tanks). Occasionally use a large squeegee (built like a shop broom but a squeegee) cleaning up spill on the ground. Basic paperwork, tickets, load log sheet, the usual.
On the weekends I dispatch instead of drive. Answer phones, basic paperwork, make coffee, clean up office, you know.

What do you enjoy most about your job: the solitude. I like spending most the day alone, just do my job, listen to music on the radio. Most days, it's fairly easy work. (drive, hookup, gauge, turn on pump, load, unhook, make out ticket, pickup tools, drive, hookup, turn on pump for pressure, gauge, kick off/dispose of load, pickup tools - radio into dispatch, next. I like it.)

What do you hate most: I feel under-trained. a lot I dont know. The equipment is old and some in 'sad' shape. Some of co-workers bit childish and selfish, occasionally feels like "daycare". My training has reached a point of 'don't ask, don't tell, should know by now, figure it out'. (makes me nervous cause I dont want to hurt the tractor/trailer or mess up a job)

Short bit of advise to newer drivers: I am a newer driver, so not fair really.
I suppose find out all the info you can, anything, everything, from anyone, anywhere. "knowledge is power" you know.
Ask questions till they tell you to shut up and leave them alone. Read books, magazines, catalogs, message boards, and yes that includes manuals. (just remember what your source is, and filter accordingly!) Learn and know your truck. Tons of info out there if you look hard enough. It's not on them to tell you or show you, it's on you to find out and want to know. (imo)
Know you limitations, ask for help or advice when needed.
Take pride in what you do. Always strive to be better.

 

Company:
Private Company

Company driver, Owner Operator, Lease operator or other:
Local Company Driver for private in-house fleet.

Pull:
Tanker (Food Grade), Dry-Van and 1 Nightly dump truck run.

Average take home when you were trucking if retired or other. After taxes, (not counting garnishments and not gross wage aether) I average about:

$1,600 Every two weeks.

Other pay besides driving (chaining detention ets):

Being a local driver, my only other pay that I get is OT and holiday pay. Time and a half if I have that holiday off, or double time if I am working the holiday (it's win-win). Also, if I go to school I get tuition reimbursement.


E-logs or paper logs?

None, I stay within "the radius."


Do you recruit, or recommend people or other drivers to work for the same company you do, with or without compensation:

Not really, there are only 4 drivers. If someone would quit I would, but this is one of those gigs that once you get on you never leave.


What kind of truck do you drive:

International 8600, Ford L9000 (the backbreaker, no airride) and a Peterbilt Dumptruck.


How many miles per week average:

5-600


Home time:

Being a local driver, every night. But I work 12's 6PM-6AM on a rotating weekend sched. 4on-3off-3on-4off.


What kind of work do you do besides drive:

Not really much, I am really into tinkering around with my pick-up truck on my off time after I break it.

What do you enjoy most about your job:

Being able to make good money, and have a good amount of time off. The company I work for got it right, you are not supposed to live to work, you're supposed to work to live!


What do you hate most:

Typical workplace drama and crap talking, we have maybe 2 normal docks we back into the rest of the places we go will leave your hands with calisus are tight add on's to a factory and are not really meant for trucks with heavy foot traffic around them.

Short bit of advise to newer drivers:

Do your reasearch and do it good, your first driving job is going to be exactly what you make it. Take what you can out of it and most important of all, learn! Don't be afraid to cross out of the comfort zone. For example, for the longest time I was scared to death of LA and NY. I heard the horror stories, the trucker talk about the 4 wheelers, the tight docks, the traffic and anything else you can think of when it comes to that area of the United States.

I had to find out for myself, I called and asked my dispatch for a NY load. And who woulda thought, I actually enjoyed the challenge. It was a nice change to actually have to use some of the skills you will learn backing across busy streets into tight coverd docks as opposed to the typical boring drop n' hook at some giant DC where literally anyone with a pulse can back into. Like I said, it's what YOU make it.

Find a company you see yourself working with for a while, a lot of people get into the first best company then 2 months later they go another place and then another and before you know it they have 2 years OTR and 5 jobs and are complaining that XYZ company is stupid because they won't hire them or they got kicked out of orentation because they have so many jobs. There is just no way around it, job hopping anything with more that 2-3 jobs in 3 years is terrible in any industry.

So, pick a company. Do your time there get your 3-4 years in and start applying at the "reputable" places. Wether it be local or OTR, 9 times out of 10 the guy with 4 years OTR with the same company will get chosen over the guy with 10 years with 15 companies. You're only doing yourself the favor, as you can already tell I can't stress it enough...Don't job hop! Here is another example, I have 2 OTR jobs in 3 years and am dissapointed with myself.

 

That is about it. You can make ok money as a company driver and still get home. I have also worked for some good small fleets in the past. My issue with them is freight is at times freight can be much less steady than with some larger fleets.
That being said. I still prefer the smaller company's for the atmosphere and freedom. And will probibly go back to one in the future.

 

Company:
KLLM

Company driver, Owner Operator, Lease operator or other:
Company for now...

Pull:
99.9% Reefrs, one hazmat in training.

Average take home when you were trucking if retired or other. After taxes, (not counting garnishments and not gross wage aether) I average about:
Just joined, due to uncontrollable circumstances I have not had a full week yet. I expect about $800

Other pay besides driving (chaining detention ets):
None

E-logs or paper logs?
Paper

Do you recruit, or recommend people or other drivers to work for the same company you do, with or without compensation:
I don't reccommend people work here without being paid.

What kind of truck do you drive:
Cascadia

How many miles per week average:
No real average numbers yet. See above

Home time:
Too much do to repairs on truck.

What kind of work do you do besides drive:
Make jokes on forums.

What do you enjoy most about your job:
They hired me when no one in my previous profession would.

What do you hate most:
Not being home. Not knowing if the next pickup or delivery is going to be the hardest back of my life!

Short bit of advise to newer drivers:
see all my other posts for any possible worthwhile advice.

Mikeeee

 

Company: Whitewood Transport

Company driver, Owner Operator, Lease operator or other: O/O

Pull: 52' Reitenauer step deck with sliding spread. 42' lower section and 10' upper section. Mainly haul crane parts, mining and drilling equipment and speciality oil field equipment. A lot of over dimension and off road loads. Spend a lot of time in Canada and the Pacific NW.

Average take home when you were trucking if retired or other. After taxes, (not counting garnishments and not gross wage aether) I average about:
I look at the whole picture, Not just what I took out in cash. For example I have not personally paid for a cell phone in years. My business bought me a pick-up. I get to depreciate my truck, trailer, pick-up, computers and write off a heck of a lot more. When it is all said and done. I bring home around $40,000 in cash and probably get another $20 to $30k in benefits that I get to write off of my gross income (personal vehicle, phone, internet, health insurance, SEP and HSA contributions, etc.) and when the truck is running good I can normally put away $3000 to $5000 per month in cash. I need to do that as Uncle Sam likes to get his quarterly checks as well and when you make money you need to remember to set that aside or you will be in deep doo doo come tax time. My quarterly tax payments are over $4000 per quarter so you sure as heck don't want to miss one.
Other pay besides driving (chaining detention ets): It is all in the gross pay.

E-logs or paper logs? E-logs! Never a paper log again for me. Been doing it for about two years now. Love it and so does our Compliance Officer.

Do you recruit, or recommend people or other drivers to work for the same company you do, with or without compensation: I sell my company when I can but I would say less than 5% of the people I talk to are in a position to join on. We are an all O/O fleet and you need to own your own trailer. I don't get directly paid to recruit but if I am able to get someone on I would get a $500.00 bonus.

What kind of truck do you drive: 2006 International 9400i

How many miles per week average: I hate this question. Who wants to work for miles. Our motto is drive less and earn more and rarely do I ever get over 2500 miles a week. Normally 1800 to 2000 per week.

Home time: Out three weeks and home for 10-12 days

What kind of work do you do besides drive: I do all the day to day book keeping and financial management of my company. No accountant except at tax time to fill in the blanks.

What do you enjoy most about your job: I love being and Independant Owner Operator and the type of trucking I do. I have been to some of the most remote places hauling the coolest loads. A lot of guys talk about running the ALCAN Hwy but I actually get to do it. You sure as heck don't want to break down North of Whitehorse, Yukon!

What do you hate most: Being away from my family.

Short bit of advise to newer drivers: Stay out of truck stop coffee shops and driver waiting areas and driver lounges. Never back on your blind side. Don't hang chrome on someone else's truck. Leave your girlfriend at home for the first year. If you want to talk to someone, walk the truck lines at the truck stop in the evenings and look for an Owner Op that is greasing the truck. I am sure he/she would love to talk to you.