Have I Got NEWS For YOU ! BAD Companies

If people wouldn't keep TEMPORARILY coming in accepting low rates and low mileage carriers would have to pay their drivers more . As long as there is a steady supply of new drivers from schools carriers will keep paying inadequate wages .

 

How do you break into trucking and not get paid a low wage? I want to drive trucks and made a living wage, but I'm a recent school graduate with only two weeks solo behind me, what are my options to low pay? (if any)

 

Good question . I stated the problem is new drivers for the most part stay only a short time , then when they leave there are plenty more in schools to take their place . The solution won't happen overnight but if people would quit going to school and lining up carriers would have to treat drivers better because if they left there truck would sit idle and not make any money . A lot of new drivers never stay trucking long enough to recover money they paid for schools . They are worse off than when they started . A driver may pay $4,000 for school , wait several weeks to get hired , then after 10 weeks of pay averaging $350 a week take home pay decides he's just sliding into debt and quits . Why even bother ? If new hires were smart and refused to drive for a company paying less than $.40 a mile the low paying carriers would have to park a lot of trucks or up their pay . Some new drivers say any job is better than no job . I don't agree . Not when you're committing yourself to a low rate you'll be stuck with for years . The days of driving a year then moving to a good carrier are over . There are tens of thousands of experienced drivers out of work that decent paying carriers will choose from .

 

It wasn't that easy for me. I moved to CA last Jan and struggled to find ANY work. I had 23 yr's of field service in telecom (hence my name here) and ended up washing motorcycles for 3.5 months. I even lost that job to a lay off! I then decided to pursue a long held dream of trucking. I can't afford to sit around and wait for the trucking co's to magically raise their pay, and I already have a year of virtual joblessness to try that road again.
Fortunately I have been blessed with a supportive person in my life that has the patience to see where this trucking thing is going to take me..

 

It works for Prime...and has for years. It hasn't been a temporary thing.

And the drivers haven't figured out why Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream account pays squat, yet they keep getting the runs and taking them where ever.

 

I might be the exception to the rule, but I am not going anywhere!

A LOT of the places that pay the $.40 a mile won't take people unless they have at least a year of experience. Students need this experience. So they have to go to the crap wage places (Swifty, USX, JoB Hunt... etc) to get the year experience. They go into debt and then get out of the trucking industry. The vicious cycle!

One interesting thing (for me), I went to a local college for their class. It was a very extensive class. Not one of those couple week things. This was 2 months (280hrs to be exact). I got a job driving local and have 8mths T/T driving. 8mths, driving 5 days a week 8hours a day. My route takes me into mountains every day. That is a good little bit of experience wouldn't you think? Nope. Not for any MAJOR carrier I have found so far. They might say their minimum is 6mths tractor trailer driving experience, but the catch is it must be OTR. My local experience counts for nothing. Even if I had a year local, doesn't count! The only way anyone would take me is if I do a refresher course AND START AT THE BOTTOM. The vicious cycle yet again!!!

 

Soooo you want someone to make a law to determine what you will make? What happens if this mandated wage you so desire is less than what I am currently making. Why does my income have to be tied to your idea of happiness? Please stop inviting the government further into our lives.

Oh by the way I work for one of these scary third party companies. The holders own two trucking companies, a dealership chain, currently buying a railhead loading facility, multiple tank washes, repair facilities and a bunch of other stuff that I could care less about. That being said I doubt I'd trade one of my checks for two of yours.