Driver wages

This one suffers from the "sounds too good to be true" category - I have the same problem trying to tell drivers what the pay rate is here - or they are afraid of a few cans of hairspray, or two trailers. I give up.

 

I wouldn't kicker outta bed for eatin' oats that fa shore.

 

We in process to get HAZMAT, and that is the reason.
I get the web site updated
thanks

 

Honestly, since coming on this site i noticed that it seems a lot of drivers are making less than i did in 1985 -both companies as a rookie.
Everything has gone up cost wise to the driver big time, I cant even imagine the companies that want you to front toll money -that must be a wad of cash.
If you have to spend 7 days a week away from home you should clear at least $800.00 a week to make a living.
If you have to eat Ramen Noodles every night to bring a couple of hundred home a week --somethings wrong.

 

[QUOTE="Hang - Man";3811966]Honestly, since coming on this site i noticed that it seems a lot of drivers are making less than i did in 1985 -both companies as a rookie.
Everything has gone up cost wise to the driver big time, I cant even imagine the companies that want you to front toll money -that must be a wad of cash.
If you have to spend 7 days a week away from home you should clear at least $800.00 a week to make a living.
If you have to eat Ramen Noodles every night to bring a couple of hundred home a week --somethings wrong.[/QUOTE]

I parked beside a truck yesterday to eat my lunch...looked over...dude had purchased entire cases or Ramen noodles...several different flavors...they were stacked in his passenger seat

 

While I don't have entire cases, I probably have 10 or 12 of those ramon cups. Along with another dozen or so cans of Campbell's soup. Those noodle cups are great for a snack and cost like 40 cents at Wal-Mart. Nothing wrong with saving money. Never assume someone that is saving money is not making good money. I doubt I spend more than 30 or 40 bucks a week on the road.

 

I have just read most of these posts and probably being older than 99% of the drivers here, I thought that I would share something. I got started in 1963 and even in the late 60s and early 70s, I was coming out way ahead of what most drivers are doing today. In 1972, I was in dispatch for a large company and even then drivers were making 30 cpm. In the mid 70s I bought my own truck and I was hauling cable out of Balitmore, MD to Pineville, La which paid me $2300 and in Pineville I was loaded back to Norcoss, Ga with empty reels which paid $700, now mind you, fuel was running around 35 or 40 cents per gal., I paid around $15.00 per hour to get my truck worked on. You could eat on 5 or 6 dollars a day.

Since De-Regulation and the surfacing of all these large mega truckload carriers, the race to the bottom has been going on. I do not want to get into a debate about unions or organize labor, but before De-regulation, the majority of trucking companies were union and being a truck driver was about the best "blue-collar" job that a person could have.-----------NOT NOW!

 

Back in 2002 that's what I made driving for an O/O .This industry is full of changes except one thing,the drivers pay.

 

In case you haven't noticed the cost of everything we purchase has been increasing. No reason truckers wages shouldn't be either. Its not our job to take it on the chin for the rest of the country.

 

This industry spends billions a yr to keep in compliance and then some.So why can't companies pay drivers what they're worth.