Why would you want to do this for a career

Md420 · Jul 11, 2016

I would laugh at any company for a offer of less than .45/cpm. I started out at .38 and got .40 if I went over 2200 miles a week which I did every week.

I will say when swift jumped their pay up alot of companies scrambled to do the same.

tman78 · Dec 6, 2016

chralb said: ↑

Agreed on your whole post but to this one point, when my back forced me out of my construction business, a friend asked if I thought I could drive a truck. I said I know I could drive one but not sure my back would handle it? I ended up going OTR for a month to see. I did everything but drive it and found I could do it. That month showed me a LOT of what the "lifestyle" was about. Never even considered driving a truck before that.

I liked it and went in with my eyes wide open. Didn't learn everything of course but I saw enough of the typical problems, delays, frustrations etc... etc... and talked with any experienced driver that would give me the time. It was enough for me to decide.

I've always told anyone who asks, if you get a chance to ride along for at least month do it! It's a great "primer" for making a decision for the long haul.
Click to expand...

How did you manage to get a "ride along" gig?

Most company drivers will never allow this...

Lepton1 · Dec 6, 2016

tman78 said: ↑

How did you manage to get a "ride along" gig?

Most company drivers will never allow this...
Click to expand...

Many companies allow passengers. You both sign a consent form and the driver buys add on insurance.

bnmbh · Dec 6, 2016

JimmyJohnTexas said: ↑

Good morning, evening, day, etc...
I have been here at this forum for a short period of time and there are alot of very good questions asked and also alot of naive questions as well.

This is for those drivers who are so new that they just got their CDL, or are getting ready to do this thing called Trucking. So you want to drive the big rigs, get paid to see the country from the interstate, sleep in your truck at a truck stop, eat the great buffet at the Petro.

First, ask yourself why are you doing this or want to do this and if you can come up with more than one good reason, based upon your own research and not what some recruiter tells you, then go for it.

Is it money? have you done the math? have you looked at what the carrier your going to go to work for is paying and the average miles they say you will run? if you haven't yet, then all I can say is hmm!!!!

The average cents per mile pay for a new driver is 0.26 per mile. at 400 miles per day or 2800 miles over a 7 day week and yes, you will drive/work 7 days a week, sorry to break the news. This ain't no 9-5 gig, 5 days a week gig, if your running OTR. So your pay is looking to be $ 728.00 a week. Not bad money if your coming to this from a minimum wage job., Now over 51 weeks a year, that is $ 37,128.00 a year. That good sounding weekly wage now for some reason, doesn't sound to good does it? a far cry from the big numbers in the carriers ads, that "YOU" chose to go to work for.

Now if your married, try supporting a family and exist on the road at those wages. Well, I hear the light bulb going on, I can really hear it. Your solution is let me guess, you will go lease a truck and be an owner operator and control your money and time. To that I say hmmm!!!

You went from .26 cents a mile to lets say .84 cents a mile. So with the new rate of .84 cents a mile and I am being conservative but realistic, your pay just went to $2352.00 each week, at .84 cents times 2800 times 51. This is if you can run that consistently.

Well when you deduct the industry average truck lease payment, I did not say loan payment, I said lease payment of $950.00 per week, then your fuel, then your taxes, then your insurance, then your maintenance account, then your self employment tax, your fuel tax, and then you get into your personal expenses, your $2352.00 per week, now just dwindled to that of a company driver, well maybe a little better.

And what about directing your time, meaning, your going to get home more as a lease operator. You will run all the time, because you will have to make those truck payments of almost a thousand dollars a week.

I am not downing anyone dreams or goals, I just want you to wake up and know why your doing this, how you are going to run your career, because if you let someone else dictate what you will do, you will never reach your true level of success.

Do your research, know what your getting into, treat your job like a business and don't fall prey to those who are willing to give you their two cents because they are pissed at the company your going to work for, as opposed to someone giving you their two cents because they want to help you.

Also know that those who truly want to help you, are going to give it to you straight and in doing so, may have to come across as harsh and tough.
Click to expand...

Very accurate.. Do your home work..

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