career choice

True dirtyrabbit, but i guess it depends on who homany works for right ? You average 2880 miles a week x 50 and you have 6 years experience, If he gets with a company that pays poorly, doesn't pay any extra, drop pay, tarp pay, breakdown pay etc. he may never make anything good.
I have read threads where 2 drivers same company laid out their year in detail with 2 different results money wise and mileage wise.
seems like for example Schneider as some one mentioned above - for dry van seems to average $500.00 a week for 1st year drivers --i know there are many variables.

 

I'm sitting in a truck stop thinking the same thing. But I bet if we just hold on and get some miles under our belt something good will come our way. I'm about a month in with covenant transport. I'm not liking otr but that's ok. We have to start some where right. I'm currently looking in to end dump or ready mix. I'm in Southern California so work continues on through winter. Maybe you look in to that, just an idea.
Good luck bro.

 

The Trucking industry is a Profession. In all professions you have to decide how much you are going to charge for your services. If you agree to work for a company that is paying only .36 then that is what you must believe you are worth. I started out in 2005. I was fresh out of prison and still on parole. I went through school at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas City, KS. I lived in Missouri so going to Kansas to class was a violation of my parole but I have a problem with authority. Actually my problem is with stupid people. Anyway, none of the recruiters (Swift, Trans Am, Werner, TWC, Gully, etc.) were interested in me. None. I found a company that hauled shingles to worksites. During the driving test, I sideswiped a bridge. But, I pasted the test. This told me something. This company was desperate for drivers. They offered me $14 per hour. I countered and we settled on $20. I made $48,000 the first year. After that, I went to work for a company and drove OTR. They offered .39 and I countered and we agreed to .45.

The industry pays poorly because you work for less money then you have to work for. Unions allow those who are to shy to negotiate their working conditions do it for them. If you can't do it on your own, then join a union.

Everyone should be a member of ONIDA. Google it.

The company that I drive for now pays me $65,000 per. There are drivers with the company that only make $40,000 who have been there longer then I have been and are better drivers. They just don't know how to negotiate.

I, on the other hand, am ugly but I get laid a lot. And let me tell you one thing, it is much better to screw then to be screwed.

 

I love your post...but ONIDA deals with electronics of some sort.

 

I bet you Googled that!

 

Sorry OOIDA http://www.ooida.com/

 

You are not a cry baby, Trucking is a deceptive profession it looks different to outsiders than it is in reality.
It has to be really hard on people depending on your/their situation in life and what you value.
At 24 years of age i couldn't hack it, i had other things that i wanted to do more, that were tough to do going down the road.
At the age of 52 i am thinking about doing it again --but my whole life is much different and i know what to expect.
Look at your life and what you like to do --wife, kids, hobbies ? and see if you can justify being OTR - if you would be happy with driving local for a company like others have mentioned --then ride it out for a year or more and go local, it will probably go fast.
If you have other priority's and that $43,000 job you had looks better now, you have a choice to make.
Others may not have that option that you have and or they are very happy driving OTR - but that's a special breed.

 

Just another thought, when you have down time try playing with those day trading sites (stocks and bonds) they have free ones that let you pick real company's with real stats --who knows maybe you can become a day trader and turn a big profit --and buy a trucking company LOL ..Just a thought to kill time.