Fair to assume the driver shortage is real?

There is a shortage of drivers with clean records in some areas. And in some parts of the country they have a hard time filling local seats with good clean experienced drivers. But overall we have plenty of drivers. And thousands more that got out of a truck but would come back if the wages and company's got better.
No driver should be on the road for less than 50-60k per year. That is starting out. Local work can be even more demanding in some ways, much more chance of having to unload freight, but is normally not as hard emotionally as OTR can be for drivers that feel the need to be close to family.

 

$1000/wk? where do I sign? I've never made that much

Unions....because they worked so well for Detroit

 

I pay back slowly.

As far as quitting much earlier, I am not someone that spends money to learn a trade, and give up like a sniveling cry baby, like some of the newbies are these days. I take the responsibility to the best of my abilities and do the job. Once "into" the industry, to quit, I would have had to go back to a trade school and learn something else all over again? Then start from the bottom again? There just comes a point and time, when I said, age catches up to you, and you stay put till the end.

I am not in love or in like with trucking, it is a job, period. I feel that to get out now, what will I do for money, at or close to the same level I earn now? If you think I'm going to start at the bottom again, you are as mislead as a newbie at a truck stop counter.

 

I am not union, and I make just over that a week, before taxes. But I still do not make the $70,000 some others claim to. And I am not LTL, but truck load, for a private carrier that serves particular customers at different accounts across the country. Not all jobs pay as good as union, but some do. You just gotta find them.

 

$67,700 gross a year but out 2-3 weeks. Closer to $59,000 if I go home every weekend. Why so much? Because they want to keep drivers.

 

Everyone seems to forget our benefits that play into our income. Not that we can spend that money, but many times benefits can add what, $10,000 + to our over all salary?

 

Exactly....When I retired from GSF in 2011 , I was making around 72,000 a year + or - a little. Without considering my benefits. 5 weeks of vacation (after 33 years) , 6 sick days a year , 3 discretionary days a year , and my birthday. Add into that what the company paid for my health insurance plan , plus a 401k match...I was well over 6 figures.

 

50 a year is fairly easy to find local and semi local if you have some experience and look. Especially in the Northeast region. But even in places like Florida they have openings, they may not advertise, but they have openings.

 

If you're an OTR driver and don't make at least a grand a week then something is wrong. Even with just 2 years experience. You should do some homework Jabber.

 

There is a huge shortage of intelligent drivers. Look around you and see the quality of drives we have supporting the us economy. Remember, Its not the quality but quantity of drivers today