want to know something

^what he said. and because there isn't enough money in trucking to be that bad at math and still succeed. be one thing if there was tons of money to lose track of...

 

another problems is you have the group of drivers who want to do it their way... the hard working honest get the job done driver will make it in this business... the one who cant deliver or pick up on time..complains all the time..takes a ton of advances will be the one to leave and complain... nobody i know of on this board will deter a person to try trucking.. alot of us have different opinions on the lease purchase but that just that...

 

So many variables affect your pay at each company. Cents per mile, miles averaged per week, breakdowns, weather, getting stuck for hours in a dock or waiting for your next dispatch. How well you handle your logs and availability too. Every driver and company are different. It is the little things you do or don't do everyday that hurt your paycheck. Don't feel like doing your full pretip everyday? Guess what?! Now that lose bolt is gone and your truck is sitting on the side of the road waiting for a tow to the nearest shop! Or you didn't plan your hours well enough and you don't have enough on your 14 left to use the rest of your 11. Get mouthy with your dispatcher or the guy at the dock and see how fast they get you running down the road! If the truck don't move... you don't make any money, right? Trucking is alot of preparation and a little luck!

 

Trucking is very competive.....most folks all have about the same expenses (fuel, tires, parts), so very minor differences on how a truck is speced or driven can make a big differancw $$$ wise.
The big starter companies keep costs low by controling the only thing they can with newbies that will make mistakes and break things....low wages. So just know first year pay is barely enough to live on due to the extra $$ a company must make with a newbie to cover insurance, accidents, wear snd tear, and fuel while a driver learns to be efficent and proficent.
Owner opperstors must be real penny pinchers, and keep a very close eye on expenses...they must run a bussiness...running by the seat of your pants, just taking any load that pops up is a surefire way to quick ruin.

 

Some people are clueless when they start a new profession. They dont realize that trucking is not just a career change, its a lifestyle change. All the sugar coated adds talk of the POTENTIAL to make 40k - 50k plus your first year. And sure it is still easily doable today, even with a good starter company or some of the bottom feeder outfits. those who strive to be truly professionals will eventually learn the job well, others coming into the industry with a 9-5 monday through friday mentality will learn the hard way or fail. I bet less than 25% of the newbies today will talk to actual truckers with real experience and not just a recruiter. yours truly is also guilty as charged, but i managed to find my way and succeed through determination and willlingness to learn. Whether your new to the industry or have 40 years under your belt, you will work hard for your money. that never changes.

 

Simply, every driver has different priorities, wants, and needs. Also, every carrier has their own set of operational and freight characteristics, where some drivers would love working at Company A, others would hate it.

 

Allow Me is EXACTLY right!!! TOO many drivers (O/O & Company) have NO idea how to manage money. I submit this example for you to consider: I am a 39 yr old married Company driver for a small (70) truck reefer company in Western Iowa. We DO NOT haul cheap freight for one thing! MOST of our freight is customer loads BOTH ways, but not all. The oldest tractors in the fleet are 2008. Those will be gone by years end as will some of the 2009's. I recently got my 2nd new truck in less than 3 years!! The owners WORK right along side of us drivers. While they do have a company to run which requires office & customer time, they get their hands dirty EVERYDAY..by that I mean in the shop. They both have CDL's and do make pickups, deliveries as well as long runs from time to time. We (drivers) are paid better than 95% of most out here. My 2011 W2 not including per diem was just over 55K; with per diem it was over 68K. THAT IS A REAL NUMBER, NOT JUST A TRUCKER STORY!!! I own a very nice house in a great neighborhood. Both my wife's 2006 GMC Denali & my 2006 GMC K1500 Z71 are paid for (2010). We have great retirement & investment accounts. We have 1 son in college (freshman) which is funded minus his sports scholarship. Our youngest (HS Sophomore) daughters' college is also funded but she most likely will have a full ride due to her outstanding academics. We also own (paid for) a nice ski boat, 24' travel trailer, 4 snowmobiles w/trailer, 2 ATV quads, 2 dirt bikes, 1 Honda ATC 350X (mine from WAY back when), plus a bunch of other stuff not worth mentioning. I'm not trying to brag but making a serious point! Now......
I have an O/O friend who is 57, single & works for Schuster Company out of LeMars, IA. He has a (NOT paid for) 2006 Volvo 780 that is NOT as fancy as his last truck, a 2000 Volvo 770. He paid $104K for it. He still owes approx $25000. We are now in 2012. Its 6 years old. He has had MANY repair issues with it. He's spent at least $30K on it in the last 2-3 years. It has almost 900K. He is paid on percentage. His take is 75% (80% when pulling a Blue Bunny trailer). He grossed $168K in 2011. He estimated his net for 2011 around $73K. Not too bad you say right...!?? Well, He does not own but rents a 2 bed/1bath apartment with a 10 by 20 garage. He doesn't have much inside his apt. Why he has the garage I do not know. He does NOT own a personal vehicle!!! He does not own ANYTHING of value. He has NO retirement or investment set up. He has nothing but always complains that he has no money to do anything!!! I hope you can see where this goes...IF YOU CAN'T OR WON'T MANAGE YOUR MONEY YOU WILL BE JUST LIKE MY O/O FRIEND AND NOT LIKE MY WIFE & I. Trucking is what you make of it. Research your employer well. Ask question & GET answers. You do have to work hard, I have. It will pay off. lastly, DO NOT get into trucking EXPECTING to be wealthy!!! You can make a great living but you have to put in the effort, have a plan or goal & make good decisions with what you earn. I know this is long but I hope it helps.

 

this is for complaining company drivers.

When I'm at the terminal, I always hear drivers complain about not making money. These are the same drivers that take 3 days to deliver a 1200 mile load. These are the same drivers that take a 12-15 hour break instead of 10. These are the same drivers that don't drive past dark. These are the drivers that always seem to find a reason to be at a terminal. These are the same guys that go to the shop to change a headlight, rather than doing it themselves. These are the same drivers who have earned the reputation from their dispatcher that they are lazy, and in return get #### loads.

Moral of the story, if you work hard, learn, and stay motivated, you'll make money. Dispatchers know who on their board runs hard. They also know which ones run the minimum. Which do you think gets the good loads?

Also, you can't expect to make killer money your first year driving. You can bust ###, and make 35-40k, or you can drag ###, and make 20k a year starting out. It's up to you to make the most out of your first couple of year so you can get an awesome company job, or get your own truck.