making a decent wage

How long ?? That depends on lot on you.

You have to choose the right company...first and foremost.

The typical company will run you at reduced wages for the first year. With several raises throughout that first year. Many will try to have you at .35 at the end of the first year. Others will wait longer.

It's my personal opinion, a beginning driver with zero accidents should be at .35 a mile within 6 months of his start date. That's not always the case. So it's up to you to insure you ask the right questions.

At many companies, it's a trade off. You'll run at a reduced per mile rate. But you'll run more miles than most of the top tier drivers. It'll balance out, you'll just have to work harder for it.

99% of the companies will deny that last paragraph.....flat out.

 

It'll take 2 years of starving with a BFI before you get a decent wage with a carrier that only hires experienced drivers

 

Some (BUT NOT MANY) first year drivers make 40K plus.

Most will never make that much, no matter how long they try.

Depends on what company you start with, and how hard you want to work !!!

 

It depends on what you call a decent wage. First year earnings should be between $30-35,000. Second year you could earn $35-40,000. After that it will depend on you and the type of freight you haul. $30,000 is a liveable wage unless you are over burdened with debt. There are ways in which you can keep expenses down while on the road. If you eat every meal in a truck stop then you will lower your take home pay dramatically.

 

What ?!?! No twice yearly trips to Cancun or Rio ?!?!?! You gotta be kidding.

 

Ill make #### close to 40k my first year, but local is a different ballgame

 

I see 40k mentioned a lot, but doesn't that really only come out to be around 10 bucks an hour give or take?

 

40k is 40k so what difference does it make? OTR guys don't get paid by the hour so its pointless to break the yearly pay down into those terms. The only possible exception might be when one is contemplating switching from OTR to some sort of local work that pays hourly. But even then its really an apples to oranges comparison. What you take home at the end of the year and lifestyle you have during the year are the big factors. If the year end take home is acceptable and the lifestyle that was required to make that year end take home is acceptable, then who cares what the hourly breaks down to?

 

Actually....less. If you utilize ALL the time you're away from home. It's been this way for as long as trucks have been around.

Wages are stagnant for the moment. They actually went down over the past 3 years, for many people.

That's why the companies continue to hammer this "driver shortage" myth. Once the experienced drivers see the economy turning. They'll bail for greener pastures if wages don't return to "normal". Companies are hoping to fill the trucks with enough new drivers to offset the loss of the older ones.

We're already seeing sign on bonuses exceeding $5000 for solo's and $10,000 for teams. Way more than they were just 5 years ago.

But this is an attempt to lure quality drivers into their ranks. Not MORE drivers.