Why is starting pay such a joke for new drivers? I want to earn big bucks

You drove for at&t? Those spools havent changed over the years.

 

One of the cheapest hires I have ever had was a coffee talk with a owner of his paving fleet in Maryland. 10 minutes later Im told to be there at sunup (Approx 6 am.) we get to work.

My first job with Hahn of New Market was pretty easy too. They take my Class A, medical card (No physical because I already have it) a 10 mile round trip down 70 and back with a empty stone truck and Im told to be ready to be present at roll call 2 am we roll at 3. I spent that afternoon cleaning my first mack number 552 I believe. 3 hours later shes topped off and ready. But first I meet my trainer in the pete at 2 am. We are unloading bulk 5 hours later and almost 300 miles deep into VA. It was also pete school. Which is why I learned to appreciate them old petes very much.

That trainer happened to be a female and one of their best in the fleet. If not pretty much one of the best trainers ever. Normally I had eh, issues with female but that got sorted right quick. Her training was so strong that when I touched a tanker again loading concrete it all came back to me by the time I got to West Little Rock from Hope and started filling the tank air.

Those days are gone forever. With a few possible exceptions.

 

I get paid .38 cents a mile. Not what I thought the trucking world would be like right out of school but keep on trucking I guess. Reality ant so kind.

 

Have you seen the quality of the so called "drivers" that are out here??? And you think starting pay should be higher??? Its not starting pay that needs to increase... Its the pay that drivers with 250k+ miles under their belt with no "incidents" and clean MVR that needs to increase.

 

Old! Me! Okay where's my walker!

 

I didn’t read through replies. Hope not redundant.
Prime or Magnum will pay you way more per mile than you’re asking.
But be careful what you ask for. That includes sitting at shippers and receivers to fit their schedule. Not yours.
You should consider what and how you’re doing. I get paid by the load. Works out to only .41 cents a mile. But it’s cut and dry. I run, period. Unloading takes a couple hours. No fooling around. Make good money.
I can drive fro two days straight. Unload. Then have to drive back for two days. Collect a thousand dollars for that.
Just went and picked up a trailer. Two full days of driving there and back. Collected over $600. Drove every day that week up to my 70. Paycheck was $1687. Gee... I only make .41 a mile.
This also includes that I drive during the day. Don’t have to drive at night. But I do at times. I plan on starting at 2 or 3 am on Saturday. After unloading, after my 10. Get back here 11 hours later. Thats my plan. Partly to accommodate the customer. Making unloading as late as I can for them. I already know. It’s how I choose to run it. On that load. I’ll leave here about 4am Friday morning. Be back here, 2pm Saturday afternoon. Pays $477. Reefer? You’re going all kinds of 24 hour a day stuff.

 

I'm liking the hourly pay much better myself. Averaging 10hour days, driving between 120-140 daily. Works out to roughly $2.20/mile.

Granted I have to do some physical labor, and provide customer service. I think the trade off for me is worth it. I commute 5 miles to work daily, and get entire weekend off. .

Opportunities are out there now, take advantage of it.

 

I like your post. It proves my point that cpm doesn't make that much difference if you're with the right company. Some drivers making more cpm than you do are making less money weekly due to the type of trucking.
I was "taking home" well over a thousand a week @.34 cpm doing similar tanker work. Accessorial pays and empty mile pay are great.

 

im going to quit trucking and gonna be a Mammographer .

 

Are they hiring?