Assistance In Finding A Good Company???

Ok First off I checked into it and Roehl doesn't hire from the Brooklyn area. You can called them to see where they are hiring from. You had mentioned something about moving out of NY.
As for the pay rate: $.29 cents per mile means you get paid for so many miles you run in a week. Most companies calculate miles by the household goods standard and not the actual miles ran. But lets say you are with a company that pays practical miles......and in the week you ran and got the paper work into the company on time for 2500 miles. It would be $.29 x 2500 miles equaling 725.00 gross. Trucking is hard to predict what you will gross in a year. Around November freight slows down until April or May. Taxes are based the same as it would be in any other profession. Federal is the number of dependents you claim.....State is the state you live in so you will also have to pay city tax I suppose. My husbands w-2 for last year for 8 months was a little over 32,000.00. It is very important to research companies. No company is going to guarantee miles.

 

If you pay for your own school you wont have them hold that "school" bill over head. Make sure you do a little research on the school too. Some companies only hire from certain schools, or programs with a minimum amount of training hours. Basically find the company you want to drive for, research what they require to get hired, and then find the school that meets or exceeds their needs.

Be careful of recruiters from any company. Not everyone is out to get you, but it will be very hard for you to tell the honest ones from the dishonest ones. Getting suckered into a bad trucking job can lead you to some very tough financial times. Best of luck to you in your new career. I look forward to hear how it goes for you.

 

Why do you want to leave teaching and your family?
Money?

 

This is just the view of a "Truckers Wife". Don't get me wrong, and all you truckers out there - I love my honey and I'm so proud of him being a trucker, I know you guys work hard and put up with a lot of crap -- but...
Johnnb - think about it, think about someday you'll have a wife and maybe kids who are only little once. A teacher is 7:30 - 3:30, no summers, no weekends, you worked hard to get that diploma - A truckers life is 24/7, home time..no guarentee...family life is for the most part shoved into 34 hours a week (that is IF you make it home for down time). If you have a girlfriend, or are thinking along the "settling" down road, think long and hard about her. It's not easy for us to be with out our men - but we love 'em and wouldn't trade them for the world, others aren't so reasonable.

Like I said - I love my trucker, and my kids think their dad is the greatest (and the one with the coolest truck), their 13, 5 & 2 - he's missed alot, but when he's here - he's all ours! Think about it, this is a great web site, just make sure your ready to hear....the GOOD, BAD, and UGLY!....

 

If your only making about 26K a year, and you don't have anything holding you to your area (no house, wife, etc), then trucking could work for you.
A good company isn't a perfect one, because there is no such thing. A good company should treat you like a human, pay a fair wage, and get you the miles you need to make a living in a safe truck.
My personal choice was Roehl. They are a good company, but like any other company, they aren't perfect.
Look around and read the posts on here. You will hear the good and the bad, but it is ultimately up to you as to what you make out of any career.
Good Luck!

 

My husband tell me all the time that the money you make in trucking has to do with 2 things..the company you work for and how often you want to be home.. He finished the school and orientation with Millis and tomorrow starts out with his trainer. He has elected to receive non-per diem pay for a couple of reasons..one being that we had a large loss in a business venture this year so taxes for 2007 will not be a problem and we needed more money in pocket right now. He also signed up for their 401_k which he was able to split percentage wise over a few different mutual funds. We have our own health insurance so we elected not to take theirs which will give me an additional penny a mile. He also elected to be paid by practical miles as opposed to HHG miles so he will start after training at .33 cents a mile. This does not include mileage or safety bonuses. If he averaged 2500 miles a week, he would make about 42-45,000 a year. he hopes to do many more miles than that as my husband drove for 5 years about 9 years ago and loves it. I think thats the key..trucking is a lifestyle..you have to love it as you and your family will give up a lot. We don't have children but I miss my husband when he is gone. Fortunately with today's technology its a lot easier to keep in touch. As I said he is leaving tomorrow and will not be back until the 4th. Also if you are thinking about moving you might want to look into central new york, you can get a lot of house here for a fraction of what you pay in Brooklyn..but it was culture shock when we moved up here from Ridgefeild, NJ. Had to get used to small town living..it has its ups and downs. Also with Millis when you go to their school, they pay for lodging but not for food so be prepared to have enough money to eat for the 3 1/2 weeks you will initially be there..3 weeks for school and then 3 days following week for orientation. Also as far as the training pay..although my husband starts monday the 18th..he will not see a paycheck until the 29th..so you should plan on being without a paycheck for 5-6 weeks with whatever company you start with. His trainer sounds nice and my husband is eager to get started..hope this helps and will keep you updated.

 

I'm not going to bother you with "this company" comments.

But, I will bother you with your "expectations". Do not fool yourself into thinking you will make $75K a year at any point within your first 2 years. The "team" figures you saw, are combined salaries of BOTH drivers in most cases.

On average, you will be lucky to make $50K with ANY company, less with most. There are those who will pay you more. But, they require experience...much more than you have at this time.

Bottom Line.... Find a company that will start you as high as possible. Most start at .28 per mile for rookies. DON'T sign long term commitments, they will come after you for their money.

Do the math....as a rookie driver. Many companies will give you as many miles as you are willing to run...more in most cases. They can claim "inexperience" if you are involved in a major accident, thereby reducing their liability. You'll get mega miles at .28 But once you start climbing up to .35 plus per mile, they cut you back. It's the nature of the beast.

On average, you can expect to make about $50K a year. Those "Up To" ads you see, are like fish bait. They include bonuses which you may or may not ever qualify for.

Ads making claims of "up to"...BEWARE these averages include the higher rate per mile for trainers, but not the lower pay for trainees, who are not considered employees at this time.

10 drivers...Two trainers making 80K per year, 8 others making 45K per year, average pay per year equals 52K...driver beware. They divided by 10, when they should have included the "students" in the numbers.