Getting my CDL soon, what's this REALLY like?

Trucking companies like fudge the numbers. They will say you can average 80k or our top drivers make 80k or you can make up to 80k. Plus they pay you my the mile so some companies pay practical miles, like address to address. Some pay zip code to zips code. You don’t usually get paid every miles the truck runs. You might lose 5%

 

At least you asked before jumping head first. Most guys drop 6 grand on CDL school, then start asking questions. You’re not the first guy to dream of lambos and 6 wives from driving someone else’s truck. lol it’s just a different game now a days

 

I never did care about CPM. I look at assessorial pays.
Here's a pretty good example of assessorial pays which are in addition to CPM
This company you need 6 mos. experience to be hired.
Marten Transport | Homepage
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Read this page:
Marten Transport | CDL-A OTR

 

Well, what is it like starting out now? I have no clue. I "started" over 40 years ago. As an owner/op 2 years ago, I made over 100k (gross) working 1 day a week. Under "normal" conditions, if all you want to do it make money an o/o can make 400k a year (gross). Under "normal" conditions. The conditions havent been "normal" for a few years now. Last year I grossed about 16k. But then I also hardly moved. I think I moved 12-15 loads all year.

Partly because I moved from Minneapolis to Florida, partly because Im in my late 60s and am not highly motivated anymore, partly because of current shipping rates, and partly because I had some extensive medical tests done.

Honestly, now is a bad time to be getting into this business. rates just plain suck, not many companies are hiring right now because of it, and its even worse for o/os right now. Landstar for example has lost over 25% of their drivers over the last 2 years. I have friends I used to work with at Yellow that I still talk to that STILL havent found jobs since Yellow shut down several years ago.

If you are determined to get your CDL, then listen to @Chinatown and get ALL your endorsements. It will give you more options.

 

Easy to have 6 wives, just not all at the same time!

 

I'd personally go back to 18 year old me and slap the ever loving #### out of him for turning down a career opportunity in Germany doing a high paid trade that would see the work contract fall through when Daimler passed off the Chrysler hot potato to Fiat/Stellantis/Whoever.

Or at the very least made my dumb former self go into a trade on the full scholarship I had instead of being all, "Get the money ASAP! TRUCKING WILL MAKE ME PAID!"

Dying to have those few hundred dollars a week at 19-20 years old really screwed me. It's true what they say, money can't buy happiness. Poverty doesn't buy anything. Take it all in moderation. Oh, and

live, laugh, love or whatever.

 

Walmart is at the higher end for normal drivers at around 110k. But that is after several years of experience. They don't hire new drivers.

Truck driving is a support job, much like a waiter or bartender, a stock clerk, a delivery boy.
It can't pay that well because paying truck drivers more just increases the price of everything else.
Just like minimum wage jobs, if you increase the bottom end wages the prices trickle up so there is no net gain for anyone in the end.

Truck driving is one of the few unskilled jobs that are held to a professional standard - except for the pay and respect, of course.