How much Long haul drivers make in one month, please advice

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by suresh, May 26, 2013.

  1. bigjoel

    bigjoel Road Train Member

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    Lots of them make next to nothing, thus the high turnover rate.
     
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  2. Cman301

    Cman301 Light Load Member

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    One thing people that are thinking about getting into trucking need to realize is that trucking is not covered by the 40 hour work week rule, so you have a lot of uncompensated time, so be prepared to sit around waiting to load or unload and not getting paid for it ! A lot of drivers if they added up the hours they actually worked in a week ,would find out they would make more money working at burger king for $8.00 an hour with time & a half ,than they do running otr !
     
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  3. Flatbedn

    Flatbedn Road Train Member

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    Last year I did only about 10 months otr with the hometime and all and did $38,947. Not super impressive but taking regular hometime it wasnt bad.

    Now with my carrier now I do about $3k a month. I am home here everyother weekend.
     
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  4. pattyj

    pattyj Road Train Member

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    Every company varies,but I would say the standard pay is around $500.00 a week after taxes.Deffinately won't get rich out here,not even close.Some companies you'll even make less then that.The companies with a high turnover rate left for a reason which is low pay and low miles.So stay clear from those companies and you just might make a half ### decent check every week.
     
  5. Ridgerunner665

    Ridgerunner665 Road Train Member

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    So far this month, 3 weeks in...my take home (net) pay is just over $3,000.

    But I am one of the lucky ones...meaning I have a good job, working for a good company that pays their drivers well.

    That said...I am not new to driving...I didn't do so well my first year, but didn't do so bad either...
     
  6. Allow Me.

    Allow Me. Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    Here's the deal......it's not so much how much you make, it's how you manage money. As an example, a guy makes $50 K another guy makes $35 K. The guy making $50 has a wife and mortgage and spends money like a fool. The guy making $35 is very frugal and single and watches every penny. Who's better off at the end of the year ? Another example, the better paid guy buys lots of big gulps and chips at truck stops every day and plays the pin ball machines a lot. The lower paid guy eats healthy and doesn't waste away his money on stupid stuff.
     
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  7. DragonTamerBrat

    DragonTamerBrat Road Train Member

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    The amount of money you need to bring in is also dependent on where you live. If you live in CA, where rent for a cubicle is outrageous, you might never make enough. Live in a rural area in the Midwest, your money will go about 3 times as far. Also, $35K for one person might be akin to the lottery, where as for other's it wouldn't get them out of bed in the morning. Other considerations: a high stress, high paying job that you hate but pays $100K won't make you nearly as happy as a job you love that only pays $40k. It's all about your perspective.
     
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  8. joshd

    joshd Bobtail Member

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    great info here thanks guys I'm new and looking into the industry. I've never made more than 24000 at the various jobs I've held so even just another 5-10k to start with would be great and growth potential from there I've mostly had dead end entry level low paying jobs.
     
  9. RickG

    RickG Road Train Member

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    How many hours did you work for $24,000 ? I bet you'd work twenty hours a week more to make that much driving . Driving is the lowest paying of entry level jobs .
     
  10. joshd

    joshd Bobtail Member

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    I usually did a 40 hour week but often as many as 50-60 I've never made more than 9.33 an hour unless it was OT or a holiday. But the pay improves right?