What is YOUR income, any/all experience?

tinglish. I am in my second week of trucking school in sacramento, i wish to work for Gordon after i get my cdl. any advice or comments?
thank you

 

Good luck.

Drive safe

 

To me, paying "your dues" is part of the process. You cant come out of school and think your gonna snap up that top dollar job without any experience or knowledge to fall back on. Granted you shouldnt have to start with one of the sweat shop companies and be slave labor, which is kinda what I did but eventually it turned into a good gig. If you get on with a union shop you will most certainly have to "pay your dues' because you start at the bottom of the heap, period

 

GOSH! I made $900 a week at American Farm Lines in Oklahoma City running to CA or Seattle back in the 70's.

 

the recruiter in medford (rick) was the only recruiter i ever talked to that wasn't full of s###. tell him i said hi if you talk to him.

i've been gone from there 3 years, so i don't know what may have changed. they're a big company so some days are gonna suck, and some days won't be so bad.

good luck

 

Inthewindaz, while I understand the meaning of your post I feel that you misunderstand the complexity of the trucking industry. Trucking is a business just like making pizza is a businesss. Some pizza companies turn out to go national like Pizza Hut and some small ones go out of business within 6 months. The bottom line is that the company (any company) will pay only what they can get away with. I was in the IT field working harder and smarter than most of my peers but they were making more because they had a 4 year degree in "theory" or "political science". They "put in their time" as far as the company is concerned. If you drive a truck and have several DUI's what decent local company is going to hire you. I just received my CDL yesterday and will work hard for any money I make doing this but believe me I still need a certain quality of life for not only me but for my family. If trucking cannot provide that then it will be time to do something else. One more thing, most people in trucking have a passion for this. It's not just a career or a step to something else. Ever watch Dirty Jobs? Do you think that these guys do this for the money? Get real! I apologize if this does not come off correctly but it is the way I feel. I hope that I will never be stuck in an office environment again. That was definitly not worth the money. I had vacations where I was on the beach with my kids and working on my Blackberry. Do you think that is enjoyable? Some people would but not I sir.

 

Here's what I wanna know, Inthewindaz. Did anyone put a gun to your head and force you to become an OTR driver?

If your not happy with the pay offered to you as a new driver, then leave the industry or suck it up and wait for something better. In life it doesn't matter what one should or should not have to endure. It only matters how they endure it.

I've heard many people just like you with the same "the big companies screw us over" attitude and I can't help but laugh at it. If you think it's unfair that the owner of Swift Transport makes millions of dollars, then go out and build your own better mousetrap and make your own million. He came up with his and is entitled to make whatever he makes just the same as you are. But you are not entitled to take anything more from him than he is willing to pay you as a wage. I don't know if you work for Swift or not, and that's not the point or what matters. I'm just using you and he as examples.

Consider this for a moment.

Not all corporate owners are as well off as everyone wants to assume they are.

Are they earning more than their workforce? I'm sure 99.9% of them are. That doesn't mean they aren't also spending more than they are earning. It takes money to make money, yanno.

Bottom line is that this is America. No one forces anyone to work for anyone else. Slavery was abolished in the 1860s. You are free to do what you want to earn and provide for your family. Also, you are only going to get paid what a company or companies decide you are worth via market surveys. Even if you own a business (of any kind), your earnings are controlled by what the market deems the value of said business to be.

 

I USED to make:

Heartland Express:

$60,000/yr home every weekend while driving about 2,000-2,500 miles per week.

I quit because of the world situation (knew what is coming...economics, WWIII, etc...and wanted off the road), got a better (web) job, and 63mph CRAP International trucks. Will not go back to trucking again no matter if I starve to death and I am DEAD serious. Will NEVER drive a truck again under 75mph, period. I wish you the best of luck. Oh, and ask God for patience!