New driver

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Scvready, Dec 30, 2017.

  1. Scvready

    Scvready Light Load Member

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    Dec 16, 2017
    Louisiana
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    Thank you sir! You my friend are an excellent human being. I've been researching trucking for a long time now. I see so many negative Truckers its refreshing to hear from someone like you. Actually making the numbers I'm shooting for. As I said in the original post I know I can't make that money from the start, but I sure as heck am working towards that goal. I'm not letting these nay sayers get to me. Also I am willing to relocate and going home is not necessary for me. Money is......

    Thank you so much for your post its uplifting
     
    Slingshot88 Thanks this.
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  3. Scvready

    Scvready Light Load Member

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    Dec 16, 2017
    Louisiana
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    I am full of myself for hoping to be successful? Just because you settled for less doesn't mean I have to.
     
  4. LeadFarmer

    LeadFarmer Light Load Member

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    Dec 20, 2017
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    Everyone giving you positive feedback is doing so based on a pre ELD mindset. Let's say you have a perfect work week every week where you do 12 hrs a day (2x15 trip inspections plus 30min mandatory break), 11 hrs driving, for 6 days and fit a 34hr reset in at the end (122 hrs or 6.92 days).

    You're trucking Jesus so your loads appear in your trailer while you maintain a 65mph average speed across that 11 hours and never get stopped, weighed, toll boothed, or hit traffic. That gives you 4,290 miles a week, 52 weeks a year, where you never break down, never spend a minute waiting for loading, unloading, or getting a load, never stop for gas, use the bathroom exactly once in your 12 hr work span, never blow a tire, all while subsisting on water and free scavenged food. Oh and get 4,200+ miles of freight every week. Which is all theoretically possible with your impressive positive mental attitude.

    So based on all this you need to NET 46.6c/mi in pay from your company to get to $2,000 a week. Great company jobs are paying .45 to .55 a mile gross (you wouldn't get any accessory pay because you are power slide drifting freight out of your open back doors into receiver's docks, thus stop, detention, tarp, etc you won't get).

    That said if you can find a local job sure maybe you find some insane job that pays. But OTR as a company driver with the ELD mandate? Never.
     
    Phenomenal and diesel drinker Thank this.
  5. StewBear

    StewBear Bobtail Member

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    Dec 21, 2017
    Wisconsin
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    I think your hard work and go-getter attitude may have worked up until the late 80s. I recommend you hang on to that, tuck that in your back pocket and not broadcast it publicly. Ever hear the expression, “my father worked hard, all they ever gave him was more work”. It’s 2018 it’s a whole different mentality, today’s society will eat you up carrying on like that. The person in the position above you will always do half the work and make twice what you do.

    I think a quality employee ie: pay, job security and growth comes from being a leader, “actually leading by example for your employer”, hence ur work ethic card in back pocket.

    **It’s the unspoken things, that speak the loudest.

    p.s. I also think your income projections are absolutely unrealistic. Employers are not out there looking to make you rich, they get rich off of you.
     
    Prof.Gringo and diesel drinker Thank this.
  6. StewBear

    StewBear Bobtail Member

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    Dec 21, 2017
    Wisconsin
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    I will speak for myself here-
    See it it as reality giving you a mushroom tap.
     
  7. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    Mar 5, 2016
    White County, Arkansas
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    It is possible to make 2K, I have as a Trainer with FFE who paid me more than that as a salary in gross. Wife and I turned in thousands a week net beyond that as a team however the way we were dispatched probably cause the potential earnings to be cut in half, from say 150K down to around 65K. If they had us on the solid Avenel-LA turn which is twice a week 5500-6200 miles roughly for the entire 306 service days we had in 2001, it would have been roughly 330K miles at .75 or so to the truck... the gross on that would be beyond 150K towards 240K territory. I don't know what that is in terms of weekly pay but it's alot.

    Using our example is a display of what is possible when you reach a essentially a top of the experience proven, no accidents (Nothing too crazy...) and show on time or early reliability as well as participating in certain situations like hauling million dollar loads which they just do not give to just anyone etc etc etc. I built my spouse from a newbie running the rockies in ice into a solid reefer team with me and for all the things we did together in life, we did it with both hands. That particular adventure was very well done. I think two or three times we were late, and that is because the automatic trans bricked and needed a tow, totally destroying the JIT sensitive appt.

    All in all we ran about 225K miles that year, we could have run more. But spent much of our time chasing lazy single drivers while accounts threatened FFE with a ternimation if that trailer or load is not at their property in midnight or sunrise etc. 63 is pretty slow. But FFE spent roughly 85000 in Fuel that year on us, we put close to 8000 hours on that detriot which was a FINE engine, a beautiful one. But not the best engine I have ever had. It ate a alternator every three months and likes to go through batteries twice a year. Heh...
     
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  8. LeadFarmer

    LeadFarmer Light Load Member

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    Dec 20, 2017
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    He would have to run what you ran as a team to be making 2k net a week (4290mi x 52 weeks = 223k/yr). That's going 65mph average for every hour of his 11, every 11, every day, with 0 minutes for unload/loading. As for making 2k gross as a trainer were you running teams with your trainee and staying in HOS? He's trying to make his money in the ELD/DPF era not the paper log era.
     
    diesel drinker Thanks this.
  9. Slingshot88

    Slingshot88 Bobtail Member

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    Mar 23, 2017
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    No problem man. When I was getting into trucking I heard the same negativity but decided to try it. Then right before I became an o/o I almost got cold feet and almost backed out of the idea seeing as how many people said that it was no longer profitable. I am glad I didn't. Now, I'm not saying you'll ever become a millionaire (not with just one truck anyway) but you will make a very respectable living where you can afford to have a decent house, feed your kids, and still have some money left over to fool around with hobbies (or as in my case with no kids/wife, spend ALL my extra money on guitars, fish tanks, motorcycles, and drag cars LOL).

    That's not to say that upkeeping a truck isn't expensive. The truck I have is borderline "lemon" and I've had to replace a bunch of stuff, but even still, the money being made is enough to offset that IF you fight for your money as I said earlier. You know your own personality, so you know if you're the type of person who will see the bigger picture and be able to effectively negotiate on rates and stuff. Trucking is getting worse than it has been in the past and I'm not old enough to have experienced the "Golden age" of trucking. But imo it's still more than good enough as a career as long as you are assertive and form a plan of action.

    I'll throw you a bone to chew on: last week I made just north of $5k in the pocket (meaning AFTER fuel and expenses) and I only drove 1500 miles. My buddy who works at the same company got lucky with an expedited run and he made over $6500 in the pocket that week for similar mileage as me. Now I'm not saying that happens every week, but occasionally it does. You just gotta be assertive, and try to stay away from old smokey, don't get violations, and do things when you say you'll do them, be on point with your deliveries so you can establish good relationships with brokers and such.

    Again, good luck should you choose to go through with it. And I'd recommend you not buy a truck of your own until you have learned enough about the industry (preferably at least two years exp) because that will provide enough of a knowledge base that you don't get eaten alive by all the leeches in this industry lol.
     
    Dan.S and Scvready Thank this.
  10. diesel drinker

    diesel drinker Road Train Member

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    Apr 10, 2015
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    Haha you better teach him how to fudge the logbook in order to gross $2000 per week as a company. I am from Chicago too BTW.
     
    Slingshot88 Thanks this.
  11. swaggerjacker

    swaggerjacker Medium Load Member

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    Nov 20, 2016
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    I was just like scvready a year ago. Call me humbled. You guys won't change his mind. He only wants positive reinforcement. Let it run it's course. At least he isn't going O/O from the jump.

    To svcready, I am not being negative. Run your race and go after your numbers. Best of luck, Sir.
     
    Scvready Thanks this.
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