Smith Transportation. not a integrity based hiring practicer.

I made .185 cpm when I started in 1991, thought that was great money

 

I never mentioned anything about getting paid to sleep Tennessee Trucker. Its how I look at being away from home with the company equipment. I'm responsible for it 24/7 no matter what I'm doing. It seems to be a little hard to comprehend for some of you drivers.

 

I know I was just being sarcastic LOL

 

10-4!

 

You ARE at work 24/7. You are stuck with that truck for your 10 hour layover and, by law, not allowed to step outside of it for 8 of those hours. Hence, you have to consider that layover to be part of the work day. You are not free to go or do what you want during that layover. Add it in and, suddenly, you are making way less than minimum wage! This is a low paid occupation.

 

I presume this statement was sarcastic?
At least I hope so....

 

It's commonsense, not sarcasm. You are legally bound to that truck and regulated by the feds in respect to what you can or can't do during that 10 hour time span. THAT LAYOVER BECOMES PART OF THE WORKDAY!!! The actual pay is usually far less than minimum wage. Minimum wage is 7 dollars an hour. Let's say you are home on weekends and in the truck for 5 days a week. There are 120 hours total in 5 days. You would earn, on minimum wage, $280 for 40 hours of that 120 hour work week. For the remaining 80 hours, you would get overtime at $10.50 an hour. That would come out to $840. So, on minimum wage, you would earn $1,120 per week. Most drivers aren't earning nearly that much. If you earned $560 for the week, then you made $3.60 an hour for that week. Getting paid by the mile is "Mexican" wages, to say the least.

 

I will agree that rates and pay suck. No argument there from me...but...

I dont know why people keep trying to compare trucking with min wage. It simply isn't like that nor will it ever likely be.



When I take my 10hr break I am not legally bound to be INSIDE MY TRUCK.
I cannot drive and must take the time off but if I choose to stay in a hotel or a friends house, the 10hr
sleeper time does NOT require me to reside inside the sleeper or be in attendance of the rig for 10hrs.
You don't seriously believe that do you?

That's just like the myth that says if I pop in the driver seat for 1min, I am back on duty and must restart my 10hr
break all over. Sadly, people that believe this continue to perpetuate bad information.

I'm not sure what the point is in comparing trucking to min wage jobs...
If someone doesn't like trucking, they are welcome to apply at Burger Whopper or Home Depot......
No one is forcing anyone to drive a truck.

 

You have a very valid point here....