1 year of OTR experience

Today marks one year of OTR experience. It's been a long, frustrating year. Now what? I need to get away from SWIFT. They simply don't pay the bills. I NEED more $ just to survive. Over the last year, I've only made $24,144 gross. my wife made $23,xxx working at Walmart her last year there... At 36 hours per week.

this don't cut it for me anymore, what's next!?
any advice and input is appreciated, thanks guys and gals!

 

First you need to get all the endorsements to quickly move up to the $60K + pay range. Tanker/hazmat, passport, TWIC. If you don't have these endorsements yet, check with System Transport as your next move. In the meantime, work on those endorsements. You can make average $62K per year with A&R Transport, a tanker company with terminals in CA. As a last resort, you might consider a coast-to-coast team operation.

 

Wow that is terrible pay and very discouraging. I am starting with Maverick soon sure hope my first year is much more then that or I will be in serious trouble and very hungry.

There are so many well paying driving jobs for safe drivers with good work histories just start applying. I agree with Chinatown get all your endoresements and run away will not take you long to get away from the bottom.

I did a fast search on indeed.com for truck driver. 94,870 jobs came up. Be willing to bet 95% pay more then that.

You did your time now reap the rewards and move up.

 

The only other advice I could give is to get away from vans, like Chinatown said look in to flatbeds or tanks they will generaly pay more.

 

Like any other position you start at bargan basement until you get the experience and expertiese to move up. As unfortunate as it is , you are at starter wages. As you gain more experience you make more money. Although, trying another company may help too, as Swift is a low paying starter company. And as others have said it could help to have all endorsements and a TWIC and pasport. Good luck, hope you make it. But, if your hoping to make the big bucks starting out, you are in the wrong industry.

 

I graduated from a community college driving school 2 yrs ago. Got lucky and began hauling dry van and reefer with a small regional company, worked for 6 mths and moved to step decks hauling John deere stuff out of eastern iowa. Proved my self as I went and got the chance to move to a 3 axle RGN. I've done well and am taking some time off to decide my next move.

If your record is good your options are endless. Decide what part of trucking fits you and your life.

 

Been pulling vans all my career. There's good money to be made with vans if you're with the right company.

 

Thats all I made this year. But yet I haul coal in a dump bucket of a short 30 mile (round trip) haul. Plus its not constant, the mines could shut down for a 1000 different reasons or run out of coal, (yes it happens), not have enough barges. I am really looking at Maverick or TMC. Not really sure yet. Both seem good and just about the same on pay, home time. I like TMC trucks, but also like Mavericks safety features on they're trucks. We'll have to see pretty soon.

 

This is true. I was on track to making over $50k a year at my first driving job. Which was a ma n pa reefer company. I won't do flatbed or tanker as I am a lazy man and don't want to actually work for my money. Turning the crank handle is the most work I want to do.

 

Try checking in Bakersfield for some reefer companies. You should be able to easily make more than that. There's a big cement plant down the road from you too, might be able to find some bulk hauling gigs around Tehachapi.