How Accurate is the Avg Pay on the Orange Mega's Jobs website?

I never worked for big orange but if you look at the phrase"top drivers earn up to $97,000" you need to keep two key points in mind:

#1. top drivers
#2, up to $97,000
The first part "top drivers" tells you right away that the $97,000 does not apply to all or even most drivers. Most likely the top 1% only
The second part "up to" tells you right away that it is very, very possible that you will not reach $97,000 but is possible.

So the bottom line is do some drivers actually make $97,000 I would bet heavily that it is true, but the reality is that unless you run harder/longer than most of the drivers and are willing to jump thru the hoops that you will most likely fall short of the $97k. If you are an experienced driver that is used to out working your competitors at your previous companies and can meet all the requirements for the job then it should be very possible for you to get up to $97k.

 

I worked for them for 2 years. They're liars and deceivers. The only good thing about it was they do a nationwide criminal background check before they hire someone so it keeps out a lot of violent troublemakers. Most of their drivers are somewhat pleasant and I feel safe parking near them at a truck stop. Other than that it's a high tech slave plantation.

One of my jobs with them was "regional", within 600 miles of Columbus Ohio but they always had an excuse to send me outside the region to Laredo and then to Georgia and then up the east coast. "We have to send you where the freight is ."

I did have one of their intermodal drivers show me his pay stub for 108k a year, but he had been there 28 years, worked the overnight shift and ran his butt off.

 

As another Schneider veteran...sadly, I would echo the above comments.

Good ol' "Big Orange" can be a good place to go to get into the industry...and get some honest "seat time".

Past that -- for the most part -- it is notorious for having some of the lowest paying driving jobs in the industry (how else would one explain their incredible success on paper--they certainly aren't sharing it with their drivers).

-- Lual

 

You've been on your job search for quite awhile now. Do you think you'll ever find the job that's perfect for you? That job may not exist and you might have to adjust your standards just a little.

 

Companies NEVER underestimate the pay you will make when they post about pay. Ignore company material about pay. Maybe it's true, maybe it's a lie. Talk to the drivers doing the work you want to do. Ask them what starting drivers get paid.

 

That's the only valid way to find out what the wages are. Ask the guy in the seat. Recruiters lie, companies exaggerate, and both of them do everything they can to make things sound better than they really are.

 

I'm making a solid 30% less than the advertised "up to" figure for my job at orange. The low end of the "average" weekly pay range is about where I'm at. I could probably hit the high end if I consistently worked my ### off and never went home.

 

In truth--I think most "up to" CDL compensation figures (regardless of the carrier in question) are calculated based on E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G going JUST RIGHT, all the time--and you as the driver almost never go home (a theoretical ideal).

-- Lual

 

I think that is the key ingredient. In order to hit the top pay level you have to bust your ### and avoid going home. Think about the last few months you have been working. How many times did you go home, how much of a difference in pay would that made, Add that up over time and I bet your pay would start to look more like the top end pay. This along with being at a company long enough to get up to the higher pay per mile rates. If you have been at a company long enough to get the top pay per mile rate and you are working harder and taking less home time you #### well better be at the top end of the pay or you need to move on to another company asap but expecting top pay as a newer driver that takes home time often then top pay is not in the cards for you.