USA Truck ( Never Go Home )

If all you can average is $33K per year for 3 years with 2 different companies, I think I'll look at the common denominator here.

 

I just did not know that they would type anything you said down! That's all!
Ronin are you a driver ? Or what exactly is your job title? I am asking because in some ways it seems like you want to defend the way trucking companies work toward the driver... but you want to understand things from a drivers point of view.
I was just curious to know if you are a driver or not.

 

I drive, and also have a side business, also had my own freight brokerage.

No, I don't need to understand any more, I'm doing fine.

 

dj trype...

I understand what you are saying. If I worked at 2 different companies and could not make anymore than this amount that it must certainly not be the company .. but the driver. I understand why you think like this.

I am a great driver and In great Shape! I spend a lot of my 10 hour break exercising from the truck and try to get as much quality of life as I could get as a truck driver. I also put pressure on my fleet managers to run me as much as possible! I was not a lazy driver at all! I also know that no driver would ever say that he did anything wrong. So i understand your thought process!

I just want to say that I believe it is the trucking industry as a whole!
This is why I am finished with it!

To completely give up your quality of life... Your Love Life... Your Family Life and basically put a Mortgage on your entire life for 400 dollars per week is just not worth it unless you were homeless and needing a place to stay!

 

It was not just me as well. I talked to lot's of drivers at my companies and when I talked to them , I was completely honest with them. I could connect with them in the ways I talked to them. A lot of driver... when you look at them and get an idea of how they speak with other drivers.. you can tell if they are going to tell you the truth or not!

When I would sit down and have a straight out talk with the drivers I talked to , alone.. and not when lot's of people were listening... they usually told me exactly what I am saying! They could not bring home hardly anything. They were struggling trying to make it and the single drivers could not afford to even live on their own. Most were either living with a family member or out of the truck.

Occasionally I would talk to that driver who brought home 1,000 every week... was the best driver ever... had the best cb radio ever... his truck was faster than everyone else's , his house costed 1,000,000 dollars , and his car was the best...
LOL I got that a lot and never really took anything they said seriously...

But for most drivers... the ones who looked like they were professional drivers and kept a clean appearance... told me the same thing that took me 3 years to find out!
That you can not make enough money to live a normal life in trucking.. that you can not support a family in trucking!

 

I wouldn't do it for $400 a week, either - if you are, it's either you or your company - change your attitude or abilities, or change companies and fix it. I PROMISE you.... there are lots of solo drivers out there regulary making $800-1000 a week...

 

like me, I make 1700 per week, every week... Now go do LTL and get back with me

 

I understand... Your right! I believe that I was not perfect. I would get angry and say a lot! So I understand. But At Usa Truck I was never a problem employee. I mean, they liked my work and even gave me a lot of time off for a big trip. I was also approved by safety to become a trainer but I decided not to.

I still blame it on the trucking industry as a whole! I believe that trucking is great and I respect every driver greatly! I love to drive! I just believe that there is no money in it at all. I couldn't even support myself in it. This is why I am trying to go to the coal mines. I mean.. If I made enough money to support myself I would try to stay.. but after what I have been through... I probably won't do it again. I gave Usa Truck my last shot! After Swift .. people told me just to try another company.. that Swift was bad... but I found out that there was not much difference at Usa!

Those 2 companies have ran me out of trucking! Even if you made 800 or 1,000 per week.. after taxes that is just around 700 a week... and the fact that your completely giving your whole life away for that kind of money .. it's just not worth it.

Imagine.. taking your whole entire life... days and nights.. and ALL holidays but 1 day or 2 for Christmas just for that amount of money? It's crazy! I was doing that for 400 a week! I got caught up in the whole thing and life on the road became normal for me! When i would see people... I would be talking to them a lot more than I would ever talk to anyone.. i realized that the road changed me a whole lot...

I was just excited to see people! I felt like everytime i got out of the truck and saw people i knew at home... i felt like I just got out of jail or something!

 

I have to have Hazmat and Doubles to do LTL ... right?

Also.. I heard that it was very hard to get hired on LTL?
Is this true?

I have no issues with my driving record.. My record is clean for the most part...
I have no criminal history at all. Never been convicted of a crime. I have 2 tickets in the past 6 years.

The only problem I will have is Swift leaving me a bad reference. Usa truck from what I understand is leaving me an okay reference. The last people I talked to said that Usa truck did not say anything bad about me.

So do you think I can get on as LTL?

 

you need haz & doubles and triples in some cases. fedex in calif pays 60 cpm. Its not hard to get hired, but if your not a total clown you can get on...