Freight demand slowing down

if companies paid well to begin with them they would get better results.there's many excellent drivers on our roads but companies dont care just get that load delivered.that's all they care about is loads.a lot of drivers are making next to nothing and being a good driver has nothing to do with the pay.if companies were concerned about hiring the best then there wouldn't be newbies for trainers.

 

50 k a yr is what companies should pay but many do not.everything has gone up except drivers pay.especially for the new drivers.

 

I think 40k to 60k is fair. But the 1000 a week take home would close to 70k, most drivers don't deserve that, especially new drivers.

 

You only go around once, so I think you need to grab all the gusto you can.

 

they deserve more then what they're getting. look what they pay during training.what do you think a fair weekly pay should be?

 

as a new driver I wouldn't count on that.more like 25 to 30 k the first year.but who would know better then a new driver right now.maybe they can shed some lite and tell us if they're making good weekly checks.it also depends what kind of driving you do also.I would say OTR is the worst.miles are far from consistent.

 

I disagree. Guys that can't spell or use punctuation correctly are at an inherent disadvantage. Why pay them more if they didn't even care enough to educate themselves? It gives a distinct advantage to the educated and talented that enter the field. Those will be the ones that make North of $65,000 a year. Everyone else will piss and moan, job hop, and perpetuate the trailer trash/ghetto trucker image.

 

50k per year is "ok." I would take it.
60k per year is good wages.

You have a wife/husband and kids at home. $2500 per month in hard expenses (mortgage, food, clothing, H/O insurance, utilities, etc.)

You GROSS $50k. Deduct 28% for federal and SS taxes. That leaves 36k. Deduct another $12k for health insurance, that leaves you $24k. In other words,not enough to support your family. Your wife/SO/whatever has to work, leaving the kids at daycare.

You are gone on the road 3-4 weeks at a time, you have no social life beyond the random folks you meet on the road. You see your wife/SO/Kids 4 days per month, 48 days per year. That's less than a navy guy on 6-month deployments.

To even CONTEMPLATE doing that for LESS than $50k you have to be stupid. Seriously, I'd rather be poor and be at home every night.

I like what I do, but there are some major sacrifices OTR drivers have to make. We deserve to be paid well for what we do.

People talk about bad drivers as though there aren't "bad" EVERYTHING when it comes to employees. Whether it's doctors or dispatchers or carpenters.

And as or "having no skills," Put my sister behind my wheel and have her P/U and deliver a load 2000 miles away consistently with no issues in winter weather leaving shippers and consignees glad they saw her.

Ya, totally no skills involved. It's so easy, nobody is hiring because all the stupid people out there are working making the big $$ and never quit or get fired. And hey, it's so simple we're only #10 on the list of most dangerous jobs in America.

Yes, you CAN learn to drive in a couple of months. You also CAN learn to be field medic in that time. You can certainly learn to be a salesman, short-order cook or any other of 100 jobs I can think of. Only in trucking do I see so many people disparage their own trade.

Not one in 1000 people can do what I do every day and do it well while being happy doing it.

I provide something the entire country depends upon and do it well. If it was just "holding a steering wheel" Mcdonalds wouldn't e able to keep staff because everyone would drive truck.

 

Don't let anyone ruin your hopes man. Wherever you start, your going to be dog meat for the first 6 months to a year. Get your time in, and most of all protect your driving record. That is the one thing you have to market yourself with. Don't be late, run legal, don't get tickets. Master your backing skills. Get out of the farking truck and walk around and learn to park and dock without bumping into things, and you will be ok.