Are we as drivers fools?

Never. We've been doing this for over 100 years and still have not figured it out.
So, never

 

I know people who work in consulting that spend as much time on the road as I do.

I also know people that work for Epic, Amazon, etc that put in 80 hours a week at the office, not counting commute times.

Don't get me started on the hours that lower level associates put in at a law firm.

"But Roger - they get paid more!!!!" Not as much as you think. Median pay the first 5 years is under $100k. Considering they shelled out $120,000 for the law degree, have to spend A LOT more on work clothes, professional development, etc the difference isn't that great.

It all comes down to - "do i get paid a fair wage for the work?" and "is there something else I want/can do to earn more for the same or less work?".

 

NEVER.

Youve been gipped since 1934 when laws specifically excluded trucking from overtime and other industry standards of labor and then imposed twice the working hours weekly.

We are still stupid enough to accept .32 a mile after 40 years of same. Come on now. What does that make the drivers. That's roight. DUM DUM collectively.

In 2001 the two of us put in 306 service days, full 24 hours in the truck at least 130 miles from home as logged. We both grossed together 67K that's 34K each give or take pretax. That's 7300 hours in that stupid truck clucking over either dispatchers or loads that are late from solos. For each of us our wages that year in 2001 came out to right about 4.34 EACH per hour.

PPPPFFFFTTTHHH.

 

I know people who work a lot harder than I do for what can tell anyway not much more. I also know people who work less and make more. I know a guy who's working the same job hes had since he was literally 12 or 13, he's only making about 20 an hour last I heard. Be less concerned with it being "fair" and worry more about it being enough, life's not fair and the sooner you realize that the easier your life will be.

 

One of my relatives was a Marine from Korea, a officer to boot. All squared away.

What does he do when he came home from Chosin? Open a eating place. He worked everything in the place, dishes, seafood, meats, food gathering, billing, invoicing, etc etc etc.

Without fail 6 am up down and clearing the public toilets. That was my very first job. 6:02 I am in a bowl somewhere with soap and bucket. Degrading. But it's 6 am and time to get the place ready to open,. that takes a couple of hours.

To this day I find myself preparing for a 6 am start. Even though I am a night owl. I actually will be rolling at 5 in a few hours.

The best thing to do is stay motivated and hit it. Make sure no matter what in life whatever time you have in the day when it's quiet and all the meemies have gone away that is your time. Use it wisely. For yourself. Ultimately that is all you are going to ever have in this cursed world.

 

Find a local job and get paid by the hour.
Problem solved.

 

We get paid to sleep...sounds like a great recruitment talking point.